Reborn at Twilight: A Dark Gift II
by Kiki Kendall
Summary: Madison is back and has been thrust into the world of Twilight as Bella's twin sister. She's armed with a little foreknowledge, a bit of psychic whammy, and somehow through it all, finds an unexpected love. (Rating will change to M later)
1. Chapter 1

I was curled up on the side of my favorite arm chair, surrounded on all sides by teenage girls. My oldest niece, Alexa, was behind me, braiding my hair in more and more intricate styles as she watched videos on youtube and attempted them in between watching snatches of the movie. "Who do you think is hotter, Aunt Madison?" One of the girls asked. I looked up from the book I was reading on my Kindle to see the girls were looking at me in between one of them switching out Twilight to Twilight: New Moon.

"Yeah, are you team Edward or Team Jacob?" Molly asked, from her sleeping bag on the floor. She was curled over, painting her toenails.

I grinned at them. "Oh, definitely Team Jacob." I laughed at some of the outraged gasps. "Hear me out, though!" I said, and continued, "I always felt like the whole Renesme thing was kind of an after-thought. Just a way to tie everything up with a nice, neat bow. Meyer brought Jacob in as a love interest for Bella, even got the girl to admit that she loved him in her own way and then passed him on to her daughter and felt like that was okay? I don't know, I just felt like Jacob was special enough that he should have had an imprint his own age or close to it. Not have to wait so long for his mate after having gone through so much with Bella."

A couple of the girls nodded, but Molly just laughed. "I still think Edward's hotter," she said.

"And you're entitle to your opinion," I teased. I looked up at the clock above the television. "This is the last one tonight, girls. You can finish the series tomorrow. As for me, I've got to be up early to take Annie to the vet. So, movie will be over around 3:30. Bedtime then, okay?" They nodded in agreement. That gave them a chance for a few bathroom or snack breaks. I wandered around the room giving kisses and hugs. "Goodnight, my girls," I said as I walked back towards my bedroom.

"Goodnight!" they called after me. "Woof!" barked my silver-and-black German Shepherd, Annie. Knowing I had to be up early, I decided to forgo a shower tonight and just pulled on a comfortable long nightgown and crawled under the covers, thankful for an electric blanket that had already started warming the sheets and quilt underneath of it. I listened as the girls still talked and watched the movie, and smiled as I heard them all whoop at the point where Jacob took his shirt off. I laughed and closed my eyes and turned over, falling asleep quickly.

As I dreamed I heard a strange voice. I opened my eyes to find a place of blank whiteness. There were no shadows, no darkness, only a blinding white light. "Greetings, Madison," came a voice from everywhere. I gasped and looked around me, seeking the source of it.

"I am nowhere and everywhere, my dear." the voice asked again. All of a sudden there was a figure in front of me and it was beautiful. A woman with long golden hair in perfect ringlets. Her eyes were a deep blue and she was robed in a gown of paler blue. Her smile was exhilarating and made my knees weak, and I wasn't even into women! She reached out and placed a gentle hand upon the top of my head. "I am so happy see you again. Though you have no memory of it in this life, in this world. I have visited you in another world, another life and you did such an excellent job, I have decided you are the one I have been waiting for, the one I will bless with the gift of world travels." I gasped, as she continued, "I have a gift for you, child. Well, several gifts, truly. But the first gift that I will bestow upon you again is the gift of adventure. You will enter the worlds you have wished so often to join. You will have your chance to save all of my Lost ones. They need someone like you. Your love, your compassion, your heart and your bravery."

"The other gifts you will see as they come. Now, it is time I must say goodbye." And with that, she gave me a soft kiss upon the forehead. I closed my eyes and was enveloped in darkness. I felt strange, sound was muffled, but I could hear a heartbeat. No, two heartbeats besides my own. "Twins? Why is it always twins?" I thought. And got an answer. Because it is easier to bring you into a new world as connected to another instead of having to create a whole new construct. "Oh, that makes sense," I thought.

Suddenly there was tremendous pressure, and light, and cold. I screamed in confusion only to have it come out in a loud squall. I opened my eyes but everything was fuzzy. I was being held by giants! I tried to hear what they were saying, but there was another voice besides mine crying. I finally heard, "It's another girl!" as it was called out by a deep voice. I knew that voice. It was Charlie Swan, Bella's-well, I guess, our- Dad. This was going to be so weird.

I was wrapped in a warm blanket and it calmed me; I stopped screaming, trying to figure out what was going on. The other voice was still squalling, so I started cooing, trying to soothe my sister. It worked, apparently, because she went quiet and I just looked around. Then I was placed in a pair of warm arms and I looked up into a pair of warm blue eyes surrounded by soft brown hair, "Renee", I thought. Another face beside it, Charlie's with his deep brown eyes and dark brown mustache. "What are you going to name them?" Charlie asked.

"Isabella Marie and Madison Mikayla," Renee decided. And so apparently, once again, I began a second life.

I hated being an infant. There was so much annoyance, but I couldn't tell them what was wrong. Ugh. I was wet. I was hungry. I was cold. I was tired. I was frustrated was what I was! And then I was heartbroken when Renee decided to take Bella and I away from Charlie. I can still remember the look on his face when he kissed us goodbye for the last time under his own roof.

Renee moved us around a bit, but finally settled in Phoenix. Though it certainly wasn't all as cut and dried as Bella made it sound in the books. Renee really did love Charlie and it took her a long time to get over him. During that time, we grew up. Renee put us in all kinds of lessons. Both Bella and I despised the ballet lessons. She hated them because she was so clumsy. I hated them for that, not being so light-footed myself, and because of the other girls who were mean to Bella because she was so clumsy.

I really excelled at any class involving music. And while Renee's teaching Bella piano barely stuck, I loved it and practiced constantly. I also loved the acoustic guitar and violin. For my birthday last year, Charlie and Renee had gone in together and bought me a beautiful acoustic. Renee also found a teacher to give me guitar lessons, his name was Robbie. Bella and I would be leaving to move in with Charlie in a week; I was going to miss Robbie and his fun lessons, but I would remember all he'd taught me.

As in the books, Bella had refused to go to Forks after a while for summer vacations. I would have been perfectly happy to go, but I was terrified to leave her alone. With my luck, she'd somehow trip off the edge of a pier or something and drown. So we both stayed away from Forks for years, even though I had no problem with the cool and the rain. Everything in Phoenix seemed sun-baked and colorless after a while.

And so we slowly came closer and closer to our Destiny, Bella's with Edward's, mine with Jacob. I knew this was going to be difficult, but I was determined to be as helpful to bringing Edward and Bella closer much quicker and more safely than it had happened in the books. I had some ideas as to how, but I wasn't quite sure as to how for all of it, but I'd still try.

When the day finally arrived, I woke early, excited and nervous to see Charlie again. I got dressed in jeans and a warm shirt, remembering Bella saying in the book how cold it was when she arrived. I was not going to be caught off guard by the chill like she had been. I would also be carrying on my parka, laptop and guitar. There was no way I was trusting my baby to the handling of the barbarians in the loading bay. I'd even saved enough money to buy another seat just for my guitar. Yes, I know that sounds extreme, but so be it.

Lucky Bella slept through most of the trip. I however, did not. Stupid fear of heights and flying. I had taken Dramamine to try and help me relax. It did nothing. I began to wish I had my Xanax from my life before. When we finally landed, I seriously considered kissing the ground, but Bella jerked me up as I started to kneel down, looking incredibly embarrassed. Charlie spotted Bella first, as I was busy talking to the incredibly nice older lady who I'd spent most of the flight talking with.

Now, have I mentioned yet that Bella and I are not identical twins? Oops, sorry. While Bella has a heart shaped face, mine is more rounded. Her eyes are chocolate brown, mine are a strange shade of almost an olive-like green. Her hair is brown, mine has more red to it, with gold and copper highlights in the sun. We are, however, both incredibly pale. Like...freakishly pale.

Dad hugged Bella first, but grinned when I threw myself into his arms. "Hi Dad!" I exclaimed happily. He kissed the top of my head. "Hey, short stuff. How are you?"

"Better now that I'm on solid ground," I reply. He smiled, well aware of my hatred of heights. We walked to his cruiser and I happily climbed into the back and laid across the back seat, sleepy now that I was finally on the ground and the Dramamine was still depressing my system. I knew that Bella and Charlie would grab my suitcase, and I'd already stowed my guitar into the trunk of the car. I half-listened to the stilted conversation between Dad and Bella and dozed on the way home.

When we arrived, Dad woke me up and helped me up to my room. The one main difference from the book and here and now was that the house was a three bedroom instead of two, Bella and I each had our own room. Hers was painted purple, mine was a jungle green with little glow in the dark stars on the cerulean blue ceiling. Each room contained a bed, desk and dresser, though my bed was a full size because I was constantly falling out of the old twin bed that had been in here years ago. My desk was dark wood and the chair was a funky orange-colored plastic on silver wheels. My dresser was painted white, with crystal-blue glass star-shaped handles. As mis-matched as the furniture was, I loved it and felt that it suited my personality: fun and different.

Another change from the book: I was determined to have fast internet, so Bella and I agreed to go in together and pay for half of a faster internet package from the local satellite company. We also got cable, internet, and some phone agreement bundle thing, so dad got more sports events and cheaper phone which made him happy. My laptop was faster, which made me happy. I knew Bella didn't care much either way, but I wouldn't go crazy waiting for things to download on dad's ancient dial-up.

I checked my email quickly before bed, sent off a quick email to Renee to tell her we'd arrived and that I'd email her a longer note at the end of the week. I had a couple emails from old friends and I answered them quickly. I didn't really have a best friend, since I'd always known that Forks would eventually be my destination, I'd never really put much effort into making friends.

"Bella, I'm going to take a shower!" I called out to her, as I gathered some clean, warm pajamas and underwear.

"'Kay!" she called back to me, and I walked into the bathroom and turned the water on to start warming. I took my "human moments" as Bella would call them and slid into the shower to wash and used good old Ivory soap on my skin and my favorite, cheap apple scented shampoo and conditioner. I turned off the water and dried while still in the steamy shower to stay warm before climbing out and dressing quickly. I pulled socks onto my feet so there wouldn't be such a cold shock to my toes wandering back to my room on the cold wooden floors. I was glad I did, because the second I opened the bathroom door, I was inundated with a blast of chill air and I started shivering and my teeth started chattering. "N-night Dad!" I called down to him.

"Night, Maddie! Night, Bella!" he called back. I felt bad knowing Bella spent most of the night crying, but I couldn't stay awake anymore. And I knew that eventually, she would be beyond happy we had moved.

The next morning, I woke and smiled. Today was the day! Edward and Bella would finally meet! I was so excited that I almost fell out of the bed, my feet twisted up in my sheets. I righted myself and went over to my closet, pulling out a pair of comfortable but new jeans, a tee shirt that proclaimed that I was "Geeky and I know it!" with a picture of the Fellowship of the Ring, and my favorite pair of tennis shoes.

I packed my bag with the new notebooks and pens that I'd bought in fun colors. My messenger bag was studded with patches and pins that I'd collected for years, the denim strained white in areas, but it was still sturdy. I pulled on my jacket just as Bella came down the stairs. I grabbed packets of pop tarts for each of us and we walked out to get into the truck Dad had bought for Bella. He knew I was saving money for a car of my own and had almost enough to get it, so I'd told him not to worry about it, but that Bella needed a good, reliable vehicle. Sure enough, the monstrosity was ready for us when we arrived.

Getting to school didn't take long, but we were both fighting back panic. I turned to her and we gripped each others hands as we had so often as little girls. "Two against the world," we whispered to each other. I looked over at what she was wearing and took a light scarf from my bag, tying it around her throat for later and pulling her hair down around her shoulders from the ponytail she'd had it in. "There, you're gorgeous," I said, smiling.

We walked to the office and got our papers from Miss Cope. We were in almost all the same classes, which we were thankful for. Unfortunately, Eric Yorkie was waiting for us outside of the office and was only the first in a long morning of people eager to meet the new girls. The most annoying to me was Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory with their, "Aren't twins supposed to, ya know, look alike?"

"We're fraternal, not identical," we both answered at the same time, which caused everyone else to laugh, and Bella and I to roll our eyes. It was so typical. Which led us to having to explain that fraternal twins were from two completely different eggs, not one that had decided to split in half. And then, of course, it was time for lunch, also known as Bella's "First Look!"

I made sure to sit beside her to where my dear sister had a better view as they came through the front door and watched as she stiffened and stared. "Who are they?" she asked, and I turned watch the moment. However, I was struck just as dumb the moment he walked in. No, not Edward, who was as beautiful as Bella had described him, but the tall blonde beside him. Of course I recognized him, Jasper Whitlock-Hale-Cullen. But the books and movies hadn't done him justice. Wait, what the hell was I thinking! He was with Alice. Bad, Madison! Very, very bad!

But there was no looking up from Edward showing he'd heard my thoughts. My nose wrinkled in surprise. "Hello? Edward? Can you hear me?" Nothing. So I started being stupid with my thoughts. "Vampires. Blood-sucker. Hey, leech-boy. Sex. SEX. Cat.. Sex!"...still nothing. Oh thank god, he can't hear me! My heart was pumping furiously and I shivered. I looked up and saw a pair of eyes on me. Jasper's eyes. They were a beautiful topaz, but as I met them, they began to darken slightly. He smiled at me and I felt my heart give one great big pump and flop over.

"Those are the Cullens." I vaguely heard Jessica explain. "The big one there is Emmett. Then there's the twins Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They're like Mrs. Cullens niece and nephew or something. Then there's Edward. Jasper and Edward think they're too good for anyone here, so don't bother," she sniffed.

"They are too good for anyone here," I thought. "Or were! _Wait, where was Alice a_ t?" I looked up just in time to see her come dancing through the door, with another vampire! Wait, what the hell? Why was she not with Jasper? Who the hell was this guy? Unfortunately, I was so distracted that I missed Jessica explaining who it was with Alice. Dammit.

I heard Bella say she wasn't going to bother with Edward, but my brain was still wrapping around the Alice/Jasper/strange vampire thing. If Alice was with this guy, who was Jasper with? Was he with someone? Or was he alone, like Edward? I kept an eye on them during lunch and saw Jasper, Edward and Alice look up towards us several times as they spoke with Rosalie and Emmett and the other vampire.

When the bell rang, I hopped up and followed Bella to our next class. I stopped her for a second and we stopped by my locker, making sure her scarf was in place, that her hair was down and pulled her clothes more snugly around her, keeping her scent closer to her body. I didn't think of anything else I could do more to help. If Alice saw something, I was sure she'd show up and stop Edward before he was able to do anything. I believed in the little vampire pixie.

Sure enough, biology was tense between the two of them. I was stuck behind Bella and Edward, with some kid named whose last name was Mandy who dressed like a rapper wanna-be whose pants I wanted to yank up so hard they'd never be able to pull them back down. Of all the clothing styles I hated, that was the worst. Ugh. No one wants to see your damn ugly-ass underwear!

When the bell rang, sure enough, Edward hauled ass out of the room as quickly as he could. Bella turned around and asked me if he'd seemed odd, leaving so quickly. "Nah," I assured her. "He's probably got a class across campus and knows he's gotta leave fast to get there. He was in here early, remember?" I said, trying to take her mind off of it. "On to P.E.!" I proclaimed, and we both groaned.

I was thankful that we didn't have to change for P.E. today, but Bella and I both were not thrilled to end the day with the class. She because of her balance issues. I was just somewhat lazy and hated to be physically active at the end of the day and have to take a shower at the end of the afternoon. But I knew from my obesity and health issues from my first life that I wouldn't let that happen again, so I participated in P.E. and took much better care of myself this time around. I wasn't a perfect physical specimen or anything like that but I was definitely in a much healthier place than I'd ever been before in my first time around.

As we left, Bella and I stopped to turn in our papers and who should we find in the office but Edward trying to change classes. Dammit, I thought, as he passed by. Can't talk him out of this one now, the twit. I glared at him as he walked past me and he looked surprised at my glare. I was tempted to kick him in the shin, but didn't feel like breaking my poor toes. "Jerk," I murmured at him, surprising him more, as he left.

"How was your day?" Miss Cope asked, taking our sheets.

"Fine, thank you," I said, and grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her from the office.

"Come on, Bells. We still have stuff to do, and god knows Charlie doesn't have any food at his place," I said. I looked up and was slightly dazzled at the sight of Jasper as he climbed into Edward's car. He stopped midway between shutting the door, his eyes catching mine. I smiled at him and he nodded at me. My smile brightened and I caught his lips curving as I did. Then they were gone, pulling out of the parking lot quickly. Bella and I made it to the truck and we climbed in and drove to the grocery store. We talked back and forth about the day as we decided between us what meals we wanted to make during the week.

She liked mostly vegetable based meals, but knew that both Charlie and I were more meat-and-potatoes people, though I loved a good salad, too. So we picked up steaks and potatoes for supper that night, plus a roast for me to make a pot roast and beef stew that weekend, and salmon fillets to make salmon over a salad with quinoa later that week. We also picked up lunch meat and bread for sandwiches, hamburger for burgers, meat loaf and spaghetti, pop tarts and cereal for quick breakfasts during the week and eggs, bacon and potatoes for a big breakfast on Sunday which was a tradition for the two of us. Juice, soda, chips and ice cream rounded out our groceries for the week. Plus a couple boxes of cookies in case we had a craving for something sweet. Neither of us had remembered to check what baking stuff Charlie had at the house, but on the off chance he had it, we didn't want to buy anything until we were sure.

When we got home, we retired to our rooms after putting groceries away and throwing the potatoes into the oven to bake for supper. I have to admit that in some ways I was enjoying these last few years, hearing songs that to me had been popular when I was in my mid-20's my first time around. I will not even lie, you would not believe how many times I caught myself dancing around when a song I'd enjoyed would come on now. Especially since I didn't have the same sense of embarrassment now that I'd had the first time around.

Being an obese person, you don't want anyone to see you "shake that thing" but as a normal-sized person, even one without much balance, I was much more likely to "shake it" now than I ever was then. And I do it quite often. So I quite often have the radio on and blasting, dancing around as I did my homework. I also would often go on youtube and look up dance routines to songs and practice them, some of them I remembered from my first time around, too. I couldn't wait for Psy to come back into popularity. I would hit Gangnam Style with the best of them, this time around!

Homework didn't take long, calculus taking the longest. I still don't know why we took this class. I'd told Bella we'd never use it. (Trust me, not once had I ever had to use it in my other life in all my years. However, reviewing basic math principals: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division were never bad things.) I was in the middle of performing a dance/excercise routine to Dirrrty by Christina Aguilera when I remembered the time. I was dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a sports bra when I heard the door downstairs open. I tossed a loose sweatshirt featuring the Hogwarts school crest on the chest over my head and ran downstairs to put the steaks into the oven, putting the under the broiler.

I heard Bella on the stairs coming down. "Hi Dad!" I said, shutting the oven door, having taken out the potatoes and put the steaks in. He pulled me into a hug and I hugged him back. He kissed Bella on the top of the head, knowing she wasn't really one for embraces. I was always the one who enjoyed cuddling out of the two of us. Even as children, I was the only one she would cuddle with. I could clearly remember the two of us curling up together in our crib. But if anyone else were around, she fought cuddling with them. Even Renee and Charlie.

We ate dinner together at the table, talking about each of our days. Bella's and mine were rather similar with the same classes and all, but we were still two different people and saw things in different ways. When she asked Charlie about the Cullens, we were both surprised at how vigorously he spoke for them. "People just seemed to ostracize them a bit, is all she meant, Dad. We were just curious," I said, taking a bit of the sting from his words.

"I understand that, Maddie. They just really don't understand how very lucky we are to have him. Dr. Cullen is a great man, and a great doctor. He could command a hell of a lot better salary at one of the bigger hospitals. We're just lucky his wife decided she wanted to raise those kids in a small town. Forks is damn lucky to have them." Charlie said.

I nodded in agreement and finished my steak and baked potato and salad. Then I and Bella did the dishes, Bella washing as I dried. "What do you think was Edward's reason for being so upset, Maddie?" Bella whispered to me as we washed. I shrugged. "Who knows. Guys are weird." She thought about it for a moment and nodded. Neither of us had ever actually dated, so guys were kind of an oddity to the both of us. And truthfully, I'd never dated in my life before either, because, let's face it, nobody ever wanted to date the fat chick in high school, and after school, my health had been so bad that I didn't think about dating. So I had absolutely zero dating experience in either lifetime.

Bella went upstairs to read while I joined Dad on the couch and watched the news and Jay Leno with him. He knew I suffered from insomnia and would be up for a while longer before I fell asleep. As I slept, I dreamed of two pairs of eyes. One big and tawny, golden. The other beautifully dark and deep, a warm brown. Both were filled with love and a sense of protectiveness. I woke a little before dawn, slightly chilled, to find the window was open, though I knew for a fact that I had shut it the night before. So, which vampire had come for a look-see? Edward was in Denali, doing his very best to convince himself that he was damned. The only one I could think of was Jasper, but what could he be looking for?


	2. Chapter 2

I sighed and got ready for the day, showering quickly and throwing on a favorite pair of worn-in jeans and a warm shirt with a hoodie over top with an owl embroidered in rainbow colors on the back of it. I slid a few silver rings on my fingers and tied my hair back into a braid down my back and gathered my school bag and books together. I made my way downstairs and found Bella fixing her breakfast. I made a couple pieces of toast for myself, coating them with cream cheese and apricot preserves. I munched on them while drinking a tall glass of orange juice. I washed my plate, knife and glass quickly, placing them in the draining board.

"Ready?" I asked Bella. She looked up from the sheet she was going over. "Weren't you going to put something in the crock pot for supper?" she asked me.

"Oh! God, yeah, thanks for reminding me," I said. I went to the freezer and pulled out the roast we'd bought the evening before. I placed it in Charlie's slow cooker with a few potatoes, a brown gravy packet, a small onion, a couple of carrots and some celery that I diced up and a can of stewed tomatoes. I turned the pot on the "low" setting. "Alrighty, we are ready. Let's go!" I said, and we made our way out to the truck.

"So are you going to join band?" Bella asked as she drove. I looked up from where I was going over my essay for English quickly. "Hmm?"

"Band. Are you going to join band? I saw an ad on the board, they're looking for people," Bella said.

"Oh. Well, I don't know. Do you think I should? I don't want to get behind in classes. We decided we'd take the AP classes here so that we could get into good colleges, remember? I don't want to get behind because I was paying more attention to my music rather than my grades," I reasoned.

"Yeah, but music would look good on your entrances, too. A lot of places want diversity in their entrance exams now, not just straight grades," she replied.

"I'll think on it. I've still got time, right?" I said, smiling. She smiled back at me and nodded. "But maybe tomorrow you should bring your guitar, just in case," she teased me, grinning. I nodded in return.

We arrived at school the same time as Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and the vampire I had no name for. I'd forgotten for the moment that Edward was going to disappear for a while. As I stepped down from the high seat of Bella's truck (have I mentioned yet that I am still short, even in this world? Dang it!), I got caught in the eyes of Jasper. I smiled at him, sending him the emotion of joy at seeing him and just the pure happiness of seeing another day. After living the life I'd had before, coming here and learning to live and enjoy each new day was such a different emotion for me rather than waking and dreading trying to make it through the day without pain or illness. He looked surprised but then smiled at me. I waved at him, catching his attention as well as the rest of the siblings as Bella and I walked by. He seemed stunned, but Alice grinned and waved happily. Without thinking about it I started skipping and singing to myself, causing Bella to glance over at me and take two steps to the side, pretending to distance herself from "The crazy twin."

"Oh come on, Bella! Live a little! Sing with me!" I ordered and launched into Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone. She sighed but whispered the words as I sang.

 _Here's the thing we started out friends_  
 _It was cool but it was all pretend_  
 _Yeah yeah_  
 _Since U Been Gone_

 _You dedicated you took the time_  
 _Wasn't long till I called you mine_  
 _Yeah Yeah_  
 _Since U Been Gone_

 _And all you'd ever hear me say_  
 _Is how I pictured me with you_  
 _That's all you'd ever hear me say_

 _But Since U Been Gone_  
 _I can breathe for the first time_  
 _I'm so moving on_  
 _Yeah, yeah_  
 _Thanks to you_  
 _Now I get_  
 _What I want_  
 _Since U Been Gone_

 _How can I put it? You put me on_  
 _I even fell for that stupid love song_  
 _Yeah, yeah_  
 _Since U Been Gone_

 _How come I'd never hear you say_  
 _I just wanna be with you_  
 _I guess you never felt that way_

 _But Since U Been Gone_  
 _I can breathe for the first time_  
 _I'm so moving on_  
 _Yeah, yeah_  
 _Thanks to you_  
 _Now I get (I get) what I want_  
 _Since U Been Gone_

 _You had your chance you blew it_  
 _Out of sight, out of mind_  
 _Shut your mouth I just can't take it_  
 _Again and again and again and again_

 _Since U Been Gone_  
 _I can breathe for the first time_  
 _I'm so moving on_  
 _Yeah, yeah_  
 _Thanks to you (thanks to you)_  
 _Now I get, I get what I want_  
 _I can breathe for the first time_  
 _I'm so moving on_  
 _Yeah, yeah_  
 _Thanks to you (thanks to you)_  
 _Now I get (I get)_  
 _You should know (you should know)_  
 _That I get, I get what I want_  
 _Since U Been Gone_  
 _Since U Been Gone_  
 _Since U Been Gone_

I was surprised when I heard applause from several people, not having realized how close to the classroom we'd gotten. Bella of course, blushed bright red. But I was in one of my strangely goofy moods and merely bowed and waved. "Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all week!" I said, laughing, as Bella grabbed my arm and dragged me into English class with me laughing.

"Very nicely done, Miss Swan," the teacher congratulated me. "Have you thought of joining the school's fine choir?" he asked. I blushed and shook my head.

"No sir, I hadn't. I was thinking of perhaps joining the band, though," I answered.

"Well, I'm certain you would be an asset to either one. Now then, let's get started. Who can tell me the .."he began and the rest of class dragged on. He ended the class assigning us another essay, this time on Hester Pryne's "disobedience" in a Puritanical culture. I was really glad I'd kept my essays from Phoenix the year before, they would be a great starting off point for these. I was definitely not above copying and reworking them to fit the situation here.

Next up was Spanish class. I saw Jasper in the hall and smiled at him. He smiled back, and Alice waved and grinned at me. I grinned back. She was so adorable, I loved her clothes and wanted to be friends with her. I still wondered why everyone avoided them so much. Yeah, they were beautiful, and seemed different, but that didn't make them unworthy of having friends. I decided that I would be open to being their friend, if they'd allow it.

I entered the Spanish classroom with Bella and sighed when Jessica slipped into the seat next to Bella. That girl drove me insane with her constant jabber. She was like a mockingbird, repeating everything she heard or thought down to silly, minute, absolutely nonsensical details. I was glad when the teacher called the class to order and I didn't have to listen to her talk anymore because she was focusing on having to translate the teacher's words into Spanish. Not that I was doing much better, but it put my mind to work as well.

When the bell for Spanish class rang, Bella and I gathered our things and walked to the lunch room. I was debating what to get for lunch. I joined the line and was surprised to find Jasper in line behind me. I smiled shyly. "Hello," I said softly.

"Hello," he said. I immediately liked his voice. It was deep and sent shivers down my spine. "What looks good today?" he asked, as if searching for relative things to ask to keep the conversation going. I peeked at him through a gap in my hair and bit my lip. I quickly looked over the selections. "The pizza doesn't seem too awful. At least it's only cheese and not pepperoni or what they swear is sausage. There's always the "buttered noodles". Your freshest choices would be the salad bar, however," I said.

"What are you having?" he asked.

"Probably a slice of the pizza and the salad bar," I said.

"That sounds good. I think I'll join you," he said, surprising me. I blushed and a smile slid over my lips without my notice. I grabbed a slice of the plain cheese pizza and handed the money taker my card for it and asked her to add enough for the salad bar as well. Jasper did the same and followed me over to the salad bar. He watched as I grabbed a bowl and filled it with fresh romaine lettuce and baby spinach as a salad base. I added mandarin orange segments, dried cranberries, crumbled feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices and drizzled a sesame-ginger vinaigrette overtop. His was much simpler, just lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers with the lemon vinaigrette overtop.

I smiled. "Looks pretty good," I said.

"Not quite as adventurous as yours," he said.

"Yeah, but I eat salads all the time, I know what I like. Most guys don't care for salads," I said, smiling at him.

"Would you like to join me...join us..for lunch?" he asked, his Southern drawl peeking through a little. And then he looked surprised that he'd asked. I was a bit stunned as well, but found myself nodding. He led the way, past shocked-looking people everywhere. He set his tray down and pulled my chair out for me, surprising me, but the other two boys acted like it was common courtesy and I smiled and gave a soft, "Thank you," and sat down. He nodded and took a seat next to me.

"Madison, I'd like to introduce you to my sisters Rosalie and Alice," he said pointing to them in turn, "And my brothers Emmett and Phillip." Ahh, so that was the other vampire's name. As I looked up to tell them all hello, my eyes caught Bella's. She looked amazed, and a little annoyed that I was sitting with the Cullens, so I caught her attention with my eyes and I simply smiled and shrugged at her. Her returned look was along the lines of indicating that there would be questions asked later.

I heard Rosalie growl and turned to her. "Chill out, Rosalie. Bella's just curious. It's not like she's the only one. Everyone in the room is wondering why in the hell I all of a sudden got picked to sit with you all. Besides, Edward wasn't going to let Alice talk to Bella for a few days, even after he returns, and you know how impatient Alice is," I said, not realizing I should not have been able to hear Rosalie growl, or tell them what Edward was going to do or when. I went white with my brain telling me I'd just made a giant "OOPS!"


	3. Chapter 3

I looked up and saw the rest of them staring at me. Then Alice let out a squeal, surprising them all. "Oh my gosh, you're like me!" she said.

They all looked back and forth from me to Alice. I almost felt the blood drop my face. "Um...what? No..." I said, way too quickly. I tried to stand, but Emmett had already slid his hand across my shoulders, smiling but holding me down so I couldn't move, making it seem like a friendly move instead of the menacing thing it truly was.

"Oh damn," I said softly. They all turned to stare at me. I stared at the table.

"Explain," said Rosalie.

"Emmett, you're kinda killing my shoulders, could you loosen up a bit, please. I'm not going anywhere," I said. He removed his arm, looking a bit apologetic. "Sorry," he said.

"No problem," I said, rolling my shoulders. I glanced up and sighed. "First of all, the way I work, it isn't exactly like how your powers work, Alice. Yours are way more advanced. I just know certain things, see things sometimes, and like yours, they're always subject to change, but they usually don't." I explained.

"You're why Bella changed clothes before she entered class before meeting with Edward," she said.

I nodded. "I'd hoped to tone down her scent, that it might help him not to react so negatively. I should have known that was a exercise in futility. He really carries around a lot of self-hate doesn't he?" I asked. The rest all nodded.

"What else do you know about us?" Rosalie growled.

"Um...probably more than you would like?" I answered truthfully. "Not that you need to worry about that, I'm not going to tell anyone."

"No, she's not!" Alice said, grinning. "She is going to be one of us some day, though!"

"I am?" I asked, a bit surprised. I hadn't seen that coming. Especially since I had thought that this would end up being a Jacob story when I'd begun. Speaking of which, I still had yet to see the soon-to-be-werewolf boy. Then again, there was quite a while before he was going to turn into a werewolf...

"She is?" Rosalie, Emmett and Phillip asked in surprise. Jasper just looked stunned and looked over at me, making me blush and my heartbeat start racing. Alice merely clapped and grinned. "You're seeing shopping trips in our future, aren't you?" I asked.

"Ohhh yes. Many, many shopping trips," she answered. I raised my eyes to heaven. "Lord, gimme strength," I sighed, making the others laugh and even Alice giggled.

"If you're hungry, you better eat quickly, the bell will ring in seven minutes," she said.

I nodded and with a quick, "Pardon my eating habits for the next few minutes," shoveled the food into my mouth. Alice giggled, the rest of them turned away, except for Jasper who seemed to watch me in fascination. I managed to finish just as the bell rang. I finished my last bite and swallowed, before swigging down the last of my Diet Dr. Pepper.

"Sorry about that, I get grumpy if I don't eat regularly," I said, as I turned to take my tray to the garbage cans and tray return.

"So does Emmett," Rosalie said, sniffing at me. "Hey!" Emmett said, making them all laugh. I grinned at him and waved as they left.

I was immediately grabbed by Bella as we walked to Biology. "What the hell was that!?" She asked.

"I don't really know," I said. "I started talking with Jasper Cullen in the lunch line and the next thing I know, he was asking me to join them at their table?" I answered in the form of a question because I still wasn't quite sure myself.

"Which one is Jasper?" she asked. I rolled my eyes. Of course, she only had eyes for Edward.

"He's the tall blonde." I said, trying not to say anything that could be misconstrued as special attention paid to him. But of course, being a twin, she picked up on my attraction to him. "Ooh, someone has a crush!" she sing-songed.

"Absolutely not!" I gasped, but heat filled my face, suffusing it with a pink tint.

"Oh yes, you do!" she said, laughing. We entered Biology and I sat down next to my lab partner. Since Bella's partner-Edward- wasn't there, she joined me and mine for a simple worksheet we had to complete by the end of class. Bella and I were equally disgusted with our "partner's" lack of caring whether or not he helped us do anything, so we were both happy when the bell rang. We gathered our things together to stop by our lockers and left.

We made our way to P.E. and changed out. I dreaded the fact that we were playing volleyball today, especially since Bella was going to be on the other team. It was bad enough when we were on the same team, now I had to worry about her aiming towards me. Class passed quickly enough, with Bella only tagging me once with the ball in the shoulder. I was still giggling about it and gently nudging her into the wall as we left the building. I gasped as a pair of ice-cold arms wrapped around me from behind. "Hi Alice!" I said, not even having to turn around.

"Alice, this is my twin sister, Bella. Bella, this is Alice Cullen, Edward's sister." I said, introducing them.

"Hello!" Alice said, her usual chipper self. She slid her arm around my waist and I smiled at her, she was just an inch or so shorter than I was.

"What can I do for you, Alice?" I asked.

"Oh, I was wondering if you could come over to help me with a project?" she asked. I was surprised and my eyebrows about shot into my hairline. This was definitely NOT in the book...but then again, neither was me having lunch with them earlier. But I didn't see this causing any harm in the timeline for Edward and Bella.

"Uh, sure, if you don't mind, Bella? Supper's in the Crockpot, you'll have plenty of time to do your homework, and you have my cell number if you need anything," I said. She waved me off.

"Go! I'm good," she said and headed to the truck. Alice squealed and grasped my wrist, dragging me towards Rosalie's "ostentatious" red BMW. "In you go!" Alice said, shoving me in back, making me squeal as I landed in a very hard lap. I looked up into the laughing eyes of Jasper. "Oh god, I'm so sorry!" I said, scrambling to right myself and move off his lap. He laughed and I glared at Alice. "Evil pixie," I grumbled, making them all laugh. I took my seat beside Jasper, strapping myself in as Rosalie pulled out of the parking lot.

"So, Alice, what's this project you're wanting to work on?" I asked. She turned to face me, a grin of sheer delight on her face. I felt my wallet cringe.

"We're going shopping!" she cried in delight.

"Of course we are!" I said, rolling my eyes and laughing. I caught Jasper smirking.

"Just think of it as a makeover. You're going out for band, you need to give your confidence a boost!" she said, turning back around. "By the way, you sing beautifully. We all heard it," Alice said.

"Oh god, really?" I said, slumping into the back of the seat.

"All of us," Alice said.

"Be nice, Alley-cat," Jasper said, before turning to me. "Your voice is lovely."

I blushed and smiled. "Thank you," I said softly. He nodded and faced forward again. "Why are you coming?" I asked quietly.

He frowned. "Do you not want me to?" he asked.

"Oh! Oh god no, that's not what I meant!" I was mortified. He started laughing. "Calm down I was teasing," he said.

I reached over and swatted at him gently. "Beast," I said. "I just meant why would you want to be stuck with us all afternoon?"

"Jasper got put on bag-carrier duty. Emmett and Phillip already had plans to help Esme with a project," Alice explained.

"Oh, I see," I said. "Poor you," I said, teasing him. He just smirked. "That's alright. Alice saw there were a few things I'd been looking for that were going to be coming in on today's deliveries, so I'll be picking those up while you ladies are doing your thing, then we'll meet up and I'll be your baggage carrier," he said.

With as fast as Rosalie drove, we were there in what seemed like only a few minutes. She dropped Alice, Jasper and me off before finding a spot to park. Jasper went off to do whatever he was going to do and Rosalie headed towards the nearest shoe store. Alice grasped my hand and dragged me to a nearby boutique.


	4. Chapter 4

While Alice went through the clothing, I went through the small bins of accessories, especially the jewelry and hair pieces. In my previous life, my hair had begun to thin and I'd been getting a rather large spot on the top of my head that had begun balding. In this life, I'd grown my hair out and it was lovely and thick and the one thing I truly splurged on was my hair care products. My hair was hip length and curly at the ends. I found some cute jeweled hair clips and headbands, but mostly found a vast array of cute little stud and dangle-drop earrings. And one really beautiful amethyst ring that I snagged from the basket. I took my purchases to the cashier and paid for them just as Alice came and pulled me to the changing room. She shoved an armload of clothes into my hands, yanking my small bag of purchases away. "Go try those on," she ordered, pointing at the dressing room.

Knowing how futile resistance would be, I merely rolled my eyes and nodded. "Yes, Miss Alice!" I teased and walked into the changing room. I shut the door and changed into the first outfit she'd picked out. I had to admit that I loved it. It was a pair of black boot-cut jeans, with a beautiful corseted top in burgundy with black laces and blood-red embroidery done in a rose pattern. It was off-shoulder but had tiny little butterfly sleeves that ended around my elbows. The hem was longer in back, almost a triangular train. There was a light black leather jacket overtop. I felt badass when I put it on. I stepped out of the dressing room for Alice to make her decision.

"Well, what do you think, Alice?" I said. Her eyes widened.

"Wow! You look even hotter than I saw. Oh, when I do your makeup to match, you're gonna blow his mind!" she squealed.

"Blow whose mind?" I asked.

"Never you mind right now," she said. "Next outfit!" she waved me back into the dressing room. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't get an answer out of her. I returned to the dressing room, carefully removing the outfit and folding them on the chair. I pulled on the next outfit, looking in the mirror as I pulled on a lovely fifties-pinup-style dress in royal blue with bright little cherries scattered over it. I pulled it on and zipped it up the back. It was all floaty around my knees and it was super-cute. I adored it already. I stepped out of the changing room barefoot but smiling.

"Oh, I was right, that it so cute on you!" Alice said, nodding and walking around me in a circle. "I have the perfect shoes already picked out to go with it, too!" she said. "Next!"

I laughed and walked back into the changing room. I carefully put the dress back on it's hanger and hung it on the wall. I pulled on the next outfit. I was surprised to see it was a grey school-girl style pleated skirt and a white button-up blouse. "Alice?" I called.

"Just come on out!" she called. I stepped out, still looking surprised.

"What is this for?" I asked.

"It's a surprise," she said. "Ok, go grab all of those, they're definite yeses. I've already got the shoes and accessories to go with them. I also grabbed you a few of those tees you like and a few more pairs of the boot cut jeans, they suit your frame so well." I nodded and walked back into the changing room, carefully picking up the outfits after changing back into my regular clothes.

"So, where to now?" I asked.

"Stop at the food court and get you fed, then pick up Jasper and Rosalie," she said. I smiled, at least she hadn't forgotten that humans needed to eat fairly often. "Sounds great, but I hate that you have to endure the smell of the food," I said.

"We have to every day anyways, it's not so bad, you kind of learn to put it out of your mind after a while, unless something really overpowering comes out," she explained. I nodded as we headed down to the cashier. She stuffed a wad of cash in my hand, "Go choose what you want, my treat, while I pay for these. That way I only have to deal with what you eat and not the smells of everything as you wander around deciding," she teased me. I laughed and nodded. I headed down to the food court and looked around at my choices.

Since Bella wasn't there to chide me, and I'd been really good for a while as far as healthy choices went, I decided to splurge. I ordered a double-bacon double-cheeseburger with extra "special sauce", chili-cheese fries, a slice of cherry cheesecake and the biggest size of lemon-lime slushie they carried. I found a table and sat down, people watching as I cut into my burger, popping bits of it into my mouth. Alice joined me and looked down at my tray in disgust. I merely grinned at her. "I don't eat junk food often at all, I splurge when I get the chance," I explained. "Think of it as eating squirrels for months and then splurging on a cougar," I said, teasing her. She laughed. "I'll keep that in mind," she said.

I finished my meal just as Jasper joined us. He took our bags and I carried my drink with us as we stopped upstairs to join Rosalie. She was trying on one last pair of shoes, a lovely pair of heels that had ribbons that wound their way up her calf. "Those look fabulous on you. You have to get them!" I said approvingly.

"You really think so?" She said, turning her ankle left and right.

"Most definitely," I said. "They make your ankles look so trim and your calves look strong, slim and lovely," I said.

"They do, don't they. You're right, getting them," she said and took them off, putting them back in the box and gathering them with a stack of other boxes. I gasped at some of the names on the boxes. In no time, we were ready to go, Jasper loaded with more bags.

As we walked out, we passed by a high-priced jewelry store. As always, I couldn't help but look through the displays. I stopped for a moment, my eyes caught on a piece. Alice came over to look at what had grabbed my attention. "Oh, that's a lovely piece," she said. It was a choker done in three slim lines of amethysts with a diamond clasp. Lovely earrings completed the set.

"I've always loved amethysts," I admitted. "I know sapphire is my birthstone, and blue is one of my favorite colors, but how can you not love that shade of purple?" I asked, smiling.

Alice smiled and wrapped her arm around my back, leading me away. Jasper and Rosalie joined us and walked back to the car. "Thanks so much for coming, Maddie. It's so nice to have someone new to -"

"Play _**Barbie doll: the real game**_ with?" I teased, cutting her off.

She playfully smacked my shoulder, making me laugh. Rosalie rolled her eyes and turned on the radio. I smiled and started to sing along to Christina Aguilera's "Reflection"

Look at me  
You may think you see  
Who I really am  
But you'll never know me  
Every day  
It's as if I play a part  
Now I see  
If I wear a mask  
I can fool the world  
But I cannot fool my heart

Who is that girl I see  
Staring straight back at me?  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?

I am now  
In a world where I  
Have to hide my heart  
And what I believe in  
But somehow  
I will show the world  
What's inside my heart  
And be loved for who I am

Who is that girl I see  
Staring straight back at me?  
Why is my reflection  
Someone I don't know?  
Must I pretend that I'm  
Someone else for all time?  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?

There's a heart that must be  
Free to fly  
That burns with a need to know  
The reason why

Why must we all conceal  
What we think, how we feel?  
Must there be a secret me  
I'm forced to hide?  
I won't pretend that I'm  
Someone else for all time  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?

I closed my eyes and let my voice loose for the last few notes, holding it as long as I could. When I opened my eyes, all three vampires were staring at me. "That was...incredible!" Alice said. "Oh girl, you, me, Rose, maybe the boys if they can behave. We are going to the karaoke club this weekend!"

I tried to protest but Alice wasn't having it. "Nope, even if I have to kidnap you, we're going. Dancing and singing, put it on your calendar!"

I finally sighed and agreed. "Fine, fine, you overzealous little pixie! I'll go!" I said. She grinned and clapped, leaning back in her seat, images flashing in her mind. Suddenly one flashed in my mind too, of me in an incredibly short dress and on a stage. "Forget it, I'm not wearing anything that short or tight, Alice!" I said.

"But...!" she started.

I glared. "No."

She sighed and sat back. "Fine," she said and crossed her arms over her chest.

Rosalie and Jasper burst into laughter. "That was the funniest damn thing I've ever seen," Jasper said. "It was like Battle of the Psychics! It's even better than when you and Edward get into it, Alice," he drawled. Both Alice and I turned to glare at him; he smirked and raised his hands in surrender.

I looked up to see that we were pulling in to Charlie's short drive, Bella's truck parked closest to the house. Before I could even unbuckle my seatbelt, Jasper was opening my door and holding his hand out to help me out of the vehicle. Rosalie popped the trunk open as I took his cold hand and stood a bit unsteadily on the somewhat icy concrete. "I've got you," he said softly and I looked up into his eyes. They were a lovely shade of dark-honey. I smiled and nodded, feeling a wave of comfort and safety flow over me. He gathered my bags and walked me to the doorway.

"Miss Madison Swan, may I have your permission to call on you this weekend?" he asked quietly. I blinked in surprise then blushed when I realized what he was asking.

"Are you asking me on a date, Jasper Whitlock?" I asked.

"Yes, Ma'am. I surely am," he said, his drawl becoming more pronounced.

I smiled. "I'd be delighted, sir," I said, trying to mimic his drawl.

He smirked and kissed the top of my hand, making me blush even more. "I'll see you tomorrow in school then, Miss Swan," he said.

"Until tomorrow," I said softly.


	5. Chapter 5

He nodded. I watched as he walked back slowly to the car. I waved at Alice and Rosalie as the car pulled away. I stepped into the house and saw Charlie sitting on the couch, Bella sitting beside him going over some homework. "I'm home!" I called. I put my bags next to the stairs and plopped down on the end of the couch, earning a light glare from Bella for mistreating the furniture. Charlie looked over and took a sip of his beer. He allowed himself a single cold beer a night. Just enough alcohol to help him sleep, but not enough to get him buzzed, he'd always told us.

"Did you have fun with your friends?" he asked.

"Yup! They've invited us out on Friday, if you want to go, Bella?" I asked.

"What are they wanting to do?" she asked.

"Some more shopping, and maybe going to the karaoke bar in Port Angeles?" I said.

"Oh now that sounds like fun," Charlie said.

Bella shook her head. "Not really my thing, though, Dad. But you love all that stuff, Maddie. You go and have fun with Alice and Rosalie, okay?"

Worried she was angry, I got nervous. "Are you sure, Bella? I don't want you to feel upset or like I'm abandoning you or anything..."

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm sure. Just means quiet time for me to get some reading done," she said, teasing.

"Okay, cool!" I said, standing. "Supper dishes and everything put away or should I go do that?" I asked.

"Took care of it already," Bella said. I kissed the top of her head and she glared up at me.

"Thank you!" I said. "I'm gonna head upstairs and put this stuff away," I said. I gathered my bags under my arms and tramped up to my room, shutting the door behind me. I put the clothes away in my armoire, gasping when I saw the other items Alice had gotten me to go with the dress was a set of thigh-high silk stockings with a satin garter belt with matching lace-and-satin panties and bra set, all in a pure white to match the little petticoat under the dress that made it fluff up a bit around my knees. "Oh my god, Alice!" I whispered to myself and carefully wrapped the set back into the tissue-paper-filled box it had come in and put it away in my drawer, my face a brilliant shade of crimson.

I was appropriately horrified to see that there were seven, yes, seven, more of those boxes in the same bag, in different colors, all with satin, lace, satin-and-lace or silk creations. Apparently Alice was trying to get me to start wearing more sophisticated lingerie. Not only had she packed on entire bag filled with those creations, but there were also boxes filled with satiny pajamas, satin or lace nightgowns, and a filmy silk robe done in black with a pattern of a giant peacock on the back of it. Even I had to admit that it was gorgeous. I had no idea when she'd grabbed and hidden those things in my bags though.

I packed everything into it's own drawer, stacking the boxes beside my regular, run-of-the-mill, every day underwear. I kept a pair of the pajamas out to change into after my shower, they looked incredibly comfortable. The rest I put in the pajama drawer.

I was surprised, and yet not, to find that there was another bag secreted among the rest, but this was from a store that Alice and I had not visited. From the name, I remembered that it was an expensive perfumery that sold specialty perfumes and bath goodies. My eyes opened wide when I realized only Jasper would have had the time/could have done this, because Rosalie definitely would not have. I opened the top of the bottle of bath gel, sniffed it, and froze. I had always been very particular about what scents I used. I hated incredibly strong scents, because they messed very badly with my sinuses, often making me feel like they were burning my nose and lungs from the inside out. There had been only a few perfumes in my former life that I was able to use or stand for long periods of time because they simply became overwhelming. And it didn't help that I was constantly surrounded by people who seemed to bathe in their perfume or cologne.

But this one, I was hit with the gentlest scents of amber, jasmine and vanilla. "Mmm!" I couldn't help but hum as I sniffed again. It smelled so wonderful! I remembered from the books that Bella had smelled of freesia and other things to Edward. Was this what I smelled of to Jasper? When I pulled the perfume from the box, I gasped again. It was a beautifully cut glass bottle in a deep amethyst color.

I placed the bottle in prize-of-place on top of my dresser, gathered the bath gel and lotion and took them with me to the bathroom. I shucked off my dirty clothes, tossing them into the hamper. I turned the water to warm and climbed in as the tub filled. I used a soft sponge to wash and sighed as I was inundated with the scent of the liquid soap that had been created just for me. I closed my eyes and hummed to myself as I bathed. I thought about Jasper, the look in his eyes when he asked to call on me. There was such a look of instant heat and longing that I blushed again just thinking of it. I felt a resulting throb at my center and bit my lip as my fingers edged closer to that tantalizing and forbidden feeling zone. I let my mind wander farther down that dark corridor, imagining Jasper pressing me up against the doorway instead of simply seeing me to the door. I felt my fingertips ghost over my folds as my imagination went farther, causing me to gasp out his name and whimper.

I bit my lip, drizzling a little of the slippery soap over my fingertips and letting them glide over my clitoris. I gasped, leaning against the back of the tub as I started to apply more pressure and speed to my clit as I thought of Jasper and allowed my daydream of him to continue to him shoving me down over a desk, coming up behind me while I wore that lovely little schoolgirl outfit. Having him flip the skirt up, yank my panties down, hearing the sound of his belt coming undone before feeling his tip against me. I closed my eyes and was almost coming undone just as I imagined him grasping my breasts in his hands before slamming himself hard and deep into me. My eyes flew closed, and I cried out his name as I came, shuddering hard as my fingertips rubbed hard and faster over my throbbing clit.

"Oh god!" I whispered, still shuddering. I washed myself quickly in the cooling water and dragged my pajamas on over my bare skin, the luxuriousness of the satin feeling so good on my still hot flesh. I dragged myself out of the bathroom and into bed, feeling heated and a little embarrassed. I closed my eyes and kept seeing the images flash in my mind again and again. But I was exhausted from all the walking I'd done today and before too long I was asleep. If I'd been capable of waking from the deep sleep, I would have felt soft, cold hands gently touching my face and honey-dark eyes that looked at me adoringly. And the soft press of lips to mine as the sun rose.

I woke feeling refreshed and stretched just as Bella knocked on my door. "Rise and shine, lazybones!" she called. I blinked sleepily and swore as I looked at the clock. "Coming!" I called. I dragged on the outfit I'd set aside last night, a pair of bootcut jeans with a long green sweater, and a set of hunter green lace underwear underneath. When I stepped into the beautiful boots that Alice had packed to go with the jeans, I felt like a model. I stared at myself in the mirror for a few moments, then I quickly tucked my hair behind my ears and slicked on a rich red lipstick, deep black eyeliner, mascara and smokey eye shadow. "Perfect," I declared and grabbed the black leather jacket that went over the top of the outfit and headed downstairs. I stepped into the kitchen and heard Bella gasp.

"Oh my god. Maddie?" she asked.

I nodded. "Morning, Bella!"

"What happened to you?" she asked.

I grinned. "Alice. That little pixie is a genius! I basically just shut up and let her do what she wanted. She was going to do it if I said no anyways, it was easier just to let her have her own way. She's kind of a force of nature."

"She seemed a bit...headstrong," Bella said. I laughed and nodded. There was a knock at the front door and Bella and I both looked up, neither of us expecting anyone so early." We both walked to the front door and I was surprised to see Jasper standing there, a slight smirk on his face.

"Good morning, ladies." he said, before turning to me. "I was wondering if you would allow me to drive you to school this morning, Miss Madison?"

"I..um..." I couldn't seem to find my words, but my cheeks heated as I remembered that it was his name that I'd gasped in completion last night.

"Of course she will!" Bella said, nudging my hip with hers as I nodded blankly. Bella thrust my bag at me and watched as Jasper placed a gentle hand on my back, leading me out to the (his?) car. She watched as he opened the door for me and helped me into the car, shutting the door for me. He came around and opened his door as I pulled the seatbelt around myself. I looked around at the smooth leather interior and thought that it matched the Mercedes' exterior perfectly. Sleek, smooth and very indicative of wealth.

Jasper slid into the driver's seat and smiled at me, taking my hand and kissing the top of it softly. "Good morning, Miss Swan, it is truly a pleasure to be able to escort you to the school house this fine day. Would you be willin' to join me for the noon-day meal?" he asked.

"Well, suh (sir), I would be delighted," I said, trying to mimic his drawl and making him smile. He put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb and began the drive to Forks High.

"And may I just say that outfit is quite distractin' darlin'?" he said, looking at me.

"Do you like it, Major?" I asked.

"Oh, yes ma'am, the Major definitely approves," he said.


	6. Chapter 6

**So very sorry it has taken me so long to update. I was only recently released from the hospital and am still healing from some injuries. Thank you for all the reviews and the support! Also, as usual, any mistakes are entirely my own.**  
 **~Kiki**

* * *

It seemed as if we arrived at the high school in no time, and Jasper was opening the car door for me. I could see the stares and hear the gasps of our fellow classmates. "They're all staring," I whispered to him. A small smirk graced his lips.

"Let them stare. I've got a beautiful woman on my arm and they don't," he said, the smirk widening. He leaned down and took my bag from me, slinging it over his shoulder before reaching down to take my hand and helping me from the vehicle. I felt a strange tingle along my skin when we touched and blushed. Once I was standing, his hand rested lightly on my lower back as he escorted me to my first class. "Here you are, Miss Swan. And I will meet you outside the cafeteria for lunch," he said, placing a light kiss on the knuckles of my hand, reigniting the blush that had only just started to fade.

Before he could leave, I reached out and grasped his lower arm, surprising him. He turned back to me and I spoke in a rush so that I wouldn't chicken out. "The try-outs for band and choir are today after school and I was planning on trying for one or both of them. Would...would you come with me and be my support base with Bella?" I asked, not daring to look into his eyes.

I gasped when he put his fingers under my chin, lifting it to see his eyes sparkling. "It would truly be my honor, Miss Swan," he said. His eyes flickered to my lips and then back to my eyes before the bell rang and I heard him groan. He released my chin and spoke softly. "Until lunch, Madison."

I smiled and nodded, before heading to my seat. My morning classes seemed to drag on. It probably didn't help that I couldn't seem to stop staring at the clock every two minutes. Even Bella got sick of me looking at it and started to flick my shoulder when she'd see me checking the time yet again. Let's just say that I did it often enough that I was pretty sure that I was going to have a Bella's-fingertip shaped bruise on my arm.

When it was finally time for lunch, I felt like Bella was having to hold me back from sprinting for the cafeteria. What was wrong with me? I'd never felt this way before, an impossible feeling of being drawn to someone and feeling out-of-sorts when they weren't around. But suddenly he was there and the feeling was gone, replaced with only a lightheartedness and calmness. He saw me coming and looked up, a smile lighting his face. He placed his hand on my lower back again after he gave Bella a nod, escorting me towards the lunch line. "What is your choice today, Miss Swan?" he said, grabbing a tray for "us", though I'd be the only one eating.

I looked over the menu choices for the day. "Well," I said, "I don't think they can screw chicken noodle soup up too badly. Or a bologna sandwich. So I suppose those will do. And of course the chocolate cake for dessert," I said.

"Oh, of course," he said, taking two of the small slices on tiny paper plates before winking at me. I had to laugh. He took a small paper container of fries for himself. "And our beverages today?"

"Well, water for you, sir. And I think I shall have a Dr. Pepper," I said confidently, grabbing the two bottles from the shelf. I placed them on the tray and we stepped up to the cashier to pay for the lunch.

"My treat, Miss Swan," Jasper said, gently knocking my hand away from my pocket when I reached for my wallet. He handed the total amount up to the cashier, and we walked to the table where his adopted siblings were seated already. Once again, Jasper held my chair for me before seating himself and scooting his chair close enough that our thighs touched. He pushed the tray in front of me and I began to eat, scooping up the steaming soup and trying not to drip it everywhere. Of course I managed to drip some on my jeans, which made Emmett laugh. "Damn," I cursed, wiping at it with my napkin.

"It's alright, Madison, I brought you an extra pair of jeans," Alice said, a small smile on her face.

"Thanks Alice," I said, looking up at her and noticing her practically vibrating in her seat. "What is it, Alice?" I asked.

She looked at Jasper for a second before blurting out, "Can I come watch you perform for the choir tryouts? Please, please, please?"

"Oh. Umm..." I was honestly surprised.

"Pleeeeease?" She begged once more before I could think.

"O..kay?" I said.

"Yay!" She said, and looked like she was going to start bouncing up and down before Phillip put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, love," he said and I noticed how she seemed to mellow just a bit and began to lean into him, cuddling against his side. Phillip wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. It was so adorable.

I blushed when I looked up and noticed Jasper's eyes on mine. Then there was a series of growls from the table when Lauren Mallory's nasal, annoying voice could be heard saying, "It's not like your sister is even that pretty, Bella. How'd she even get Jasper to go out with her?"

I could see how red Bella's face was and knew that she was close to blowing her top at the Mallory girl. "Oh shit," I whispered. But Bella simply stood and walked out of the cafeteria. As if feeling the angry eyes on her, Lauren Mallory looked up and saw the faces of the Cullens and paled, her eyes widening.

"I don't know what she's talking about, you're quite pretty," said Rosalie, shocking me. "She's the one who's an absolute troll. Not to mention most of her face is due to her daddy's money and a good plastic surgeon, especially her nose."

I could only stare at Rose for a moment before I started laughing. Jasper wrapped an arm around my shoulders and whispered into my ear, "Pretty isn't the right word. You're beautiful!"

I blushed and finished my meal, laughing when Jasper shoved the second piece of chocolate cake at me. "Indulge yourself, darlin'. You're going to be performing later, you'll need the sugar."

I did indulge myself and did eat the second piece, finishing just as the bell rang. Jasper quickly took the tray to dump and hand to the dishwasher. He returned to my side, gathering my bag for me and I once again felt his hand at my lower back, such an old-timey gesture from a gentleman raised in those times. It made me smile and we chatted about our classes as he walked me to biology. We met up with Bella at the door and she smiled when she saw us.

"Are you okay?" I asked, letting her know we'd heard what Lauren had said at the lunch table.

"Fine," she said, nodding, but I could see the anger in her eyes.

"You're still going to come with Jasper and Alice to my try out, right?" I asked.

Her eyes softened and she smiled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Maddie."

We hugged and Bella walked into the room. I noticed Jasper staring at Edward's empty seat. I smiled and reached up to put a stray lock of hair behind his ear. I knew he was worried for his brother. "Don't worry Jasper, Edward will be back at school on Monday. I'm not sure if he'll return home on Saturday or Sunday, but he will be back in class on Monday." His face lit up and he leaned down, surprising me with a quick peck on the lips, leaving me dazed. "Until later, Miss Swan."


	7. Chapter 7

On the way between Biology and P.E. Bella decided she wanted to talk to me about my relationship with Jasper. "This thing with Jasper, it's moving kinda quick, isn't it?" she asked.

"It is, but Bella, it's the strangest thing. When I met him, it was like destiny. I don't know how to describe it. Not like love at first sight, but like I'd known him my entire life. Not like I knew everything about him, but more like I knew the type of man he is. Strong, honorable, very much a gentleman, but also protective and a great sense of humor." I could feel myself blushing more and more as I spoke, but was surprised when I noticed Bella nodding along with what I was saying.

"That's the vibe I get from him too. And that he'd chop off his own arm before he'd ever hurt you. So I suppose, as long as he makes you happy, I'll support this relationship," she said, grinning at me and the both of us began laughing.

As we approached the gym, I groaned as I saw Mike Newton waiting by the gymnasium doors. Bella glanced up and rolled her eyes. "That boy is like a puppy, I swear. I keep waiting for him to roll over to have his belly rubbed," I snickered. Bella glared at me and hip-checked me, making me stumble, still giggling, into the wall. "That's gonna leave a bruise!" I yelped.

P.E. was it's usual "keep the ball away from Bella as much as possible" self. At least this time I was actually on her team and was able to keep Bella from launching the ball towards me. Though I did laugh rather hard when she managed to nail Mike Newton in the back of the head. After P.E., I showered while Bella waited for me. I pulled on the outfit from the shopping bag that Alice had handed to me after I'd dripped the soup from lunch onto my jeans. I smiled at what she'd chosen.

I pulled on the wine colored spaghetti-strap tank top and the dark wash boot cut jeans, tucking them over the pair of ankle-height thick-heeled boots. A brighter red blouse, unbuttoned, went overtop the darker tank top. I brushed my hair and left it loose, swirling around my hips. I swiped on some nude eyeshadow, black eyeliner, some mascara and lip gloss. I put a pair of ruby studs in my ears and stepped out of the changing area to get Bella's opinion. Considering her jaw dropped, I assumed it was a good response.

"Yes?" I asked nervously.

"Oh hell yes," she said, making us both giggle, considering how rarely she swore.

"Well, let's get this show on the road before they start without us," I said, feeling the butterflies start in my stomach. I gathered my two musical pieces and we headed towards the music room where choir try-outs were happening. We were met halfway there by Jasper and Alice. Alice was practically bouncing in place, Jasper appeared to be trying-and failing-to calm her down. He heard our footsteps and looked up. I blushed when his eyes immediately darkened as he looked me up and down.

"Ladies, shall we?" He asked, and escorted us to the music room, his cool hand against my lower back. I held back just enough for him to whisper-growl into my ear, "You look luscious, darlin'." I smiled and whispered a quick thank you. He opened the door to the music room and we all stepped inside. They quickly took seats at the back of the room and I walked down the aisle towards the stage. Several other people were already gathered together, practicing their pieces. I sat and waited my turn while the teacher, Mr. Roberts stood on the stage explaining how he expected us to present our pieces.

"The first piece will be a song that you will perform at your preferred range. The second song will be what I call the 'showstopper', this is the piece I want to see your full range. Since the instructions have been up all week, I expect that you have all read them and are ready. We'll start in alphabetical order. Let's begin," he said and took a seat at the piano.

At last my name was called and I blew out a breath, trying to get a grip on my nerves. I felt a sudden wave of calm and confidence hit me. I looked up and saw Jasper smiling at me and I grinned at him and winked at him. I handed my music choices to Mr. Roberts. He looked them over and looked at me in surprise. "Are you sure, Miss Swan?" I nodded and he returned my nod and began to play as I stepped up to the microphone. "My first piece is 'Down to the River to Pray' by Alison Krauss," I announced before I began to sing.

As I went down in the river to pray  
Studying about that good ol' way  
And who shall wear the starry crown?  
Good Lord show me the way!

O sisters let's go down  
Let's go down, come on down  
O sisters let's go down  
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray  
Studying about that good ol' way  
And who shall wear the robe & crown?  
Good Lord show me the way

O brothers let's go down  
Let's go down, come on down  
Come on brothers, let's go down  
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray  
Studying about that good ol' way  
And who shall wear the starry crown?  
Good Lord show me the way

O fathers let's go down  
Let's go down, come on down  
O fathers let's go down  
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray  
Studying about that good ol' way  
And who shall wear the robe and crown?  
Good Lord show me the way

O mothers let's go down  
Come on down, don't you wanna go down?  
Come on mothers, let's go down  
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray  
Studying about that good ol' way  
And who shall wear the starry crown?  
Good Lord show me the way

O sinners, let's go down  
Let's go down, come on down  
O sinners, let's go down  
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray  
Studying about that good ol' way  
And who shall wear the robe and crown?  
Good Lord show me the way

I'd closed my eyes partway through the performance and as I opened them, I looked back and saw Alice and Bella grinning, and Jasper had leaned forward on his arms and was staring unblinking at me and I felt myself blush.

"Well done, Miss Swan. Do you need a break or can we start immediately on your second piece?" He asked. I took a quick sip from the bottle of water on the stool next to me and nodded to him and he began to play again, for my "showstopper" piece. "For my second piece, I'll be performing 'A Broken Wing' by Martina McBride," I said, closing my eyes as I began.

She loved him like he was  
The last man on Earth  
Gave him everything she ever had  
He'd break her spirit down  
Then come lovin' up on her  
Give a little, then take it back

She'd tell him about her dreams  
He'd just shoot 'em down  
Lord he loved to make her cry  
You're crazy for believin'  
You'll ever leave the ground  
He said, Only angels know how to fly

And with a broken wing  
She still sings  
She keeps an eye on the sky  
With a broken wing  
She carries her dreams  
Man you ought to see her fly

One Sunday morning  
She didn't go to church  
He wondered why she didn't leave  
He went up to the bedroom  
Found a note by the window  
With the curtains blowin' in the breeze

And with a broken wing  
She still sings  
She keeps an eye on the sky  
With a broken wing  
She carries her dreams  
Man you ought to see her fly

With a broken wing  
She carries her dreams  
Man you ought to see her fly

I held the last note for as long as I could. I opened my eyes when I heard applause and blushed when I saw that most of the room was staring at me with mouths open. Even Mr. Roberts was wide eyed and Bella and Alice were standing and clapping. Jasper was standing and nodded his head at me, his eyes shining even in the slightly darker area they were sitting in. I smiled at them.

Mr. Roberts seemed to gather himself together. "Well, that was...was very well done, Miss Swan. Now then, as there are no other performance, you are all dismissed and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will be posting the list on Monday morning and will see those of you who make it on Tuesday afternoon." He waved to the room and shooed us out. I gathered my things and walked down the stairs to the ground floor and walked up the aisle to Jasper, Alice and Bella. The second I was within range, Alice threw herself at me, hugging me tightly. "That was awesome!" she cried and I patted her on the back. "Thanks, Alice," I said, smiling.

"Alice is right, Maddie, that was incredible! Even I didn't know you could sing notes like that! Hell, the whole room went silent!" Bella said, still looking rather shocked. I blushed and replied, "I've been practicing."

"You were wonderful, Madison," Jasper said softly and I could feel my face light up at his praise. "Shall we go, ladies?" he asked and I nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey folks! Sorry it took me so long to get this posted. Real life has a tendency to intervene during the best of times, this time it included a massive migraine that sidelined me for over a week! I hope all of you are still enjoying the story. Know that I love hearing from you!**

 **~KiKi**

* * *

"I don't know about y'all, but I'm starving!" I said, walking backwards as I faced them. "I want a milkshake. Who's up for going to The Lodge to celebrate?" I asked. Only Bella smiled back at me and nodded. Alice looked at Jasper and sighed. "As much as we'd love to join you two, Jasper and I have to head home."

I looked over to him and he seemed sad. I put on a brave smile and bumped his shoulder with mine, turning to face correctly the way we were walking. I smiled when he took my hand and squeezed it gently with the utmost care. I squeezed it back in return and smiled at him.

"Well, that's alright, Alice. I'm just so glad you guys were all here to support me." I said and giggled when she walked around Jasper and grasped me around the stomach, hugging me against her cold tiny frame.

"I'm your friend, Maddie, of course I'll be here to support your dreams, just like you'd do for me!" she said and giggled, dancing around the rest of us.

"Alice! Calm down, pixie! Note to self, Never Never Never give Alice sugar. No more pixie stix for you!" I said, laughing. The others giggled along, Alice with a glint in her eye that made me think I'd be paying for that comment later.

Alice and Jasper escorted us to the giant red monstrosity that Bella had nicknamed Beast. Alice gave me another hug, waved at Bella and danced to a black Mercedes a few spots away from where the Beast was parked. Bella climbed into the truck while Jasper smiled at me and pulled me close. He nuzzled into my hair and kissed my cheek. "You really were astounding, Madison. Your voice is like an angel's. I can't wait for your first public performance. You know all us Cullens will be there to see it." His golden eyes held mine for a moment before he kissed me softly and then helped me into the truck, closing the door for me and walked to the Mercedes, whistling a jaunty tune that I didn't recognize.

"Oh my god, he is sooo into you, Maddie. And you two are beyond adorable together!" Bella squealed, making me blush. Why everyone always thinks she's ALWAYS so shy and quiet I'll never know. She's actually rather loud and silly sometimes. But then again, we all are as teenagers, I suppose. "Now let's go get those milkshakes, that's sounding really awesome to me!" she said and put the truck into gear.

We got our milkshakes from The Lodge to go, Bella with her strawberry one and I had a mint chocolate chip with extra mini chocolate chips tossed in. We climbed back into the truck and made our way home. We worked together on our homework until Dad got home and Bella and I worked together to make tacos for supper.

When we finished eating, Bella still had homework to do and there was a program she wanted to watch on tv afterwards, so I agreed to do dishes that night. As always, I couldn't stop myself from singing while doing them, one of my favorite Carrie Underwood songs that had been released a few weeks ago on the radio in this time.

 _She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati_  
 _On a snow white Christmas Eve_  
 _Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy with the baby in the backseat_  
 _Fifty miles to go and she was running low on faith and gasoline_  
 _It'd been a long hard year_  
 _She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention_  
 _She was going way too fast_  
 _Before she knew it she was spinning on a thin black sheet of glass_  
 _She saw both their lives flash before her eyes_  
 _She didn't even have time to cry_  
 _She was so scared_  
 _She threw her hands up in the air_  
 _Jesus take the wheel_  
 _Take it from my hands_  
 _Cause I can't do this on my own_  
 _I'm letting go_  
 _So give me one more chance_  
 _Save me from this road I'm on_  
 _Jesus take the wheel_  
 _It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder_  
 _And the car came to a stop_  
 _She cried when she saw that baby in the backseat sleeping like a rock_  
 _And for the first time in a long time_  
 _She bowed her head to pray_  
 _She said I'm sorry for the way_  
 _I've been living my life_  
 _I know I've got to change_  
 _So from now on tonight_  
 _Jesus take the wheel_  
 _Take it from my hands_  
 _Cause I can't do this on my own_  
 _I'm letting go_  
 _So give me one more chance_  
 _Save me from this road I'm on_  
 _Oh, Jesus take the wheel_  
 _Oh, I'm letting go_  
 _So give me one more chance_  
 _Save me from this road I'm on_  
 _From this road I'm on_  
 _Jesus take the wheel_  
 _Oh, take it, take it from me._  
 _Oh, wow, ohhhhh._

I smiled, draining the water from the sink and drying my hands and joined Bella on the couch to finish her program. She said goodnight to me, leaving me and Charlie to watch the news and then Dad left to go to bed too, leaving me the only one awake and I leaned my head on the couch, watching Jay Leno. I closed my eyes to rest them and must have fallen asleep.

I woke to the sensation of moving and opened my eyes. I blushed when I realized I was being carried. I looked up to see Jasper holding me, looking down at me with those golden eyes. I smiled at him and reached up, running my fingertips gently over his cheek. "You looked so uncomfortable on the couch, I decided to move you to your bed," he said quietly. I nodded in understanding. He somehow held me with one arm, the other pulling the blankets back on the bed before he tucked me in gently.

He sat on the edge of the bed and studied me for a moment. "Edward called tonight, he'll be home tomorrow." I smiled, happy for him, I knew he'd been greatly worried about his brother.

"Jasper? May I ask a question that's been...bothered isn't the right word. Intrigued, perhaps?" I asked.

"Mmmhmm," he said, running a fingertip through my hair. He looked at me, and I smiled, trying to reassure him.

"How is it you're able to be around me without wanting to, you know, drain me?" I asked as quietly as possible, hoping I didn't upset or anger him.

He blinked in surprise and then his lips curved in a smile. "Don't get me wrong, Darlin', you smell absolutely delectable. But strictly in a non-food way. You smell like the freshest of spring rain, the fullest field of flowers, but in no way do you smell appetizing in the way of a meal. Alice, Phillip, Emmett and Rosalie have all said the same. Your scent doesn't appeal to them in that way. "

"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that," I giggled. He leaned down and gave me a quick peck on the lips. Before he could move away, I placed my hand on the back of his neck and brought his lips back to mine, blushing at how bold a move it was, something I never would have felt comfortable doing before. But something about Jasper gave me confidence that I usually lacked. I kissed him,his lips cool against mine, but yet with a sense of warmth that was purely emotional. When I had to breathe, he pulled away.

"God you're beautiful, Madison. Inside and out. I don't know what in my existence I did to deserve you, but I'm damn sure glad I did," he said, making us both smile. He sighed as he looked at the clock. "It's getting late," he said sadly. I frowned, I didn't want him to leave either.

"Lay here with me until I fall asleep?" I asked softly.

He looked conflicted for a moment before nodding. He tucked me in a little tighter under the blankets and crawled behind me on the bed, wrapping his arm around me. His breath fluttered against my ear and I heard him humming the tune from earlier again. I smiled as I drifted off to dreams of soft golden eyes and a rush of loving warmth.


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow, two chapters in one week, you lucky, lucky people! I hope you'll enjoy!**

 **~Kiki**

* * *

The next morning dawned brightly, and even though I hadn't slept much, I was wide awake for it. Jasper was gone when I woke, as I knew he'd be. But the sweet man had left me a note.

 _My beautiful Madison,_  
 _It's with an unwilling heart that I leave you sleeping so soundly, but Carlisle has asked for my help with a project today. I believe Alice and Rosalie will be calling you later today to inquire about that trip to Port Angeles for Karaoke Night. Alice is already wound up-excited to go and hear you sing some more. As am I. For now, rest well and pleasant dreams, my Darling._  
 _Yours,_  
 _Jasper Whitlock_

His script was beautiful and elegant, both words that I could easily apply to him. I smiled when I read the part about Alice and Rosalie.I headed downstairs, humming happily as I went. Dad was seated at the kitchen table, drinking his first cup of coffee. "Want some breakfast, Dad?" I asked, pulling the eggs, bacon and cheese from the refrigerator.

"Sounds fantastic, Maddie. Thanks, sweetheart," he said in a heartfelt manner. I grinned and began beating eggs and shredding cheese for omelets. I placed the bacon on a tray in the oven and let it bake while I started on the eggs. Just as I was finishing the first omelet and pulling the crisped bacon from the oven, Bella was thumping down the stairs. I smiled at my twin as she ran a hand through her haystack hair. "Morning, Bells!" I said cheerfully.

She looked at me and glowered. "Too early, Maddie."

I placed dad's omelet and bacon on a plate and placed it in front of him. "Do you want an omelet Bells, or are you not ready to eat yet?" I asked, whipping up more eggs.

"Sounds great," she replied. She plopped down in a chair as I added the eggs to the pan. I placed the remaining bacon onto two plates and in no time had two omelets finished. I handed Bella her plate as I sat down. "So what's everyone's plans for today?" I asked.

"I'm going fishing with Harry and Billy later," Dad reminded us. I nodded as I chewed thoughtfully. I wondered for a moment what Jacob would be doing while his dad was fishing. Would he be working on his VW Rabbit? Hanging out with Quil and Embry?

"I'm going to curl up in bed and read. Maybe watch a movie or some tv. Just relax after this week," Bella said. She looked over to me. "What about you, Maddie?"

"I think Alice, Rosalie and I have plans to go to Port Angeles tonight for Karaoke. Are you sure you don't want to come, Bells?" I asked again.

She nodded. "Definitely not my scene. I love listening to you sing, but I'm pretty sure Alice would make me get up on stage and sing, and you know I'm not up for that, Maddie."

I sighed but agreed. Bella hated to be in the spotlight. "Well, if you change your mind, you know you're welcome to join us. But until tonight, is it ok if I catch a ride with you to La Push, Dad? I thought I'd wander along First Beach, maybe do some photography."

Charlie seemed surprised, but nodded. "Hey, why don't you take the truck, I'm not going to need it," Bella said. I looked up in surprise. "Really?"

She nodded and tossed me the keys from the pocket of her jacket hanging on the back of her chair. "Just bring it back with gas in it," she said and I smiled. Charlie left with his fishing poles and everything. It wasn't until he'd been gone about fifteen minutes that I realized that he'd forgotten his lunch. Well, that wouldn't do. I decided to pack lunch for him and for Harry and Billy, putting a quick meal of meatloaf sandwiches, chips, a thermos of coffee and one of iced tea, and slices of chocolate fudge brownies into containers and packing it into a small ice chest.

I quickly washed the dishes from breakfast, humming as I did so. I then ran upstairs and showered quickly, pulling on a comfortable pair of jeans and a plain heather grey zip-up hoodie over a white tshirt with the One Ring emblazoned on the front with "One Ring to Rule Them All" printed in a circle around the Ring. I ran a brush through my hair quickly and pulled it back in a low-hanging ponytail. From my room I grabbed my camera and bag containing my different lenses. I yelled a quick, "Bye!" to Bella as I ran down the stairs and climbed into the truck. In no time, with directions printed from online, I was on my way to First Beach.

Since the Beast's radio sucked, I was glad I'd grabbed my MP3 player, I plugged it into the mini-speaker that I kept in my bag and listened to some oldies on the way to La Push. I was singing along with "Scarborough Fair" as I passed the La Push sign and took the directions to First Beach. I opened the door and was met with briny scent and cool breeze off the ocean. I smiled and pulled my camera and case out, placing the strap of the camera around my neck.

I lost track of time as I made my way along the beach, snapping pictures as I went. I smiled as I neared the tide pools, perching myself carefully as I used a telescoping zoom lens to get some great pictures of a orange-pink starfish and an opalescent abalone stuck to one side of the rock pool.

As I stood,I lost my balance and was startled when someone shouted, "Hey!" I yelped, nearly falling into the pool before someone grabbed my arms, keeping me from the doom that is a tide pool and a digital camera. I gasped, catching my breath as the owner of said (very hot) hands pulled me back from the edge of the pool.

"Thanks!" I said, turning to face my savior. I was met with the sight of a very large, very bare chest. I know my mouth gaped open and I'm pretty sure I said something along the lines of "Holy shit!" before I looked up. "Uh..hi?" I said.

He laughed! My attention was caught by another shout and we both turned as two other men headed our way. "Is she okay, Paul?" the older-seeming of the two asked. Must be Sam, I thought as I blushed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for catching me...Paul, is it?" Mr. Muscles grinned and nodded, holding out his hand. I smiled and took it, shaking it and trying not to act phased by the sheer amount of heat pouring off his skin. "Nice to meet you, I'm Madison Swan."

"No way, you're Chief Swan's kid?" the other boy asked. I assumed he was Jared. All three of them were bare-chested and wearing cutoffs even in the slightly chill breeze off the ocean.

"One of two. My twin sister is at home today. I'm Maddie," I said, holding my hand out to shake. Sam reached forward and took it, looking surprised when I didn't flinch away from his heated touch. "Sam Uley. This is Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron," he said, motioning to the others.

"Pleased to meet you. Well, since Paul saved me from falling head first into a swirling pool of death," I teased, knowing the water was maybe knee height, "how about a photo for my saviors?" I said, holding up my camera. They looked at each other and grinned. I laughed as they gathered together, Paul and Jared looking much less serious than Sam. I snapped off a few pics. "I can email these to you later, or print them off and have my Dad deliver them next time he comes up?" I said.

"Aww, you won't deliver them yourself?" Paul asked, making me laugh.

"Well, if I do that, it might take longer. I've got school during the week and weekends are usually spent catching up on homework." I replied. "But I could definitely bring it out, just might be a while." They nodded but Paul smirked. "I'd still rather you bring 'em around." I laughed again. "Alright, Paul. Since you'll miss me soooo bad, I'll bring you your copy."

That had both Sam and Jared laughing and Paul pounced on Jared and got him in a headlock. I looked at my watch. "Well guys, I've gotta go. Do any of you know how to get to Billy Black's house? I cooked and am delivering lunch for my dad and the guys."

"No way, you cook, too?" Paul asked and I quirked an eyebrow and nodded. He turned to Sam. "Can we keep her?" he asked, making all of us laugh. I surprised him by reaching up on my tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek, and tried not to laugh when he jerked back in surprise and blushed.

"Sorry Paulie, no keeping me, but how about I promise next time I come up to La Push, I'll bring lunch for the three of you?" I stepped back for a second as if surveying them. "You all look like pretty big eaters. Note to self, make a LARGE lunch," I said, smiling as I remembered from the books how Emily was constantly having to cook to keep them all fed. I yelped as Paul picked me up and swung me in a circle. "Put me down!" I shrieked, laughing. "You are by far the awesomest chick ever!" he said and put me down. I gripped his scorching arm to keep myself from tipping over. "Whoa, head rush," I murmured. I caught my balance and smiled at my new friends.

"So, Black's house?" I asked again. Sam pointed at the road. "Take that road up one street, turn right, it's a little red house, you can't miss it." he said. I grinned at him. "Thanks Sam. Was truly fantastic to meet you all. Maybe next time Dad comes up, I'll tag along. See ya later!" I said as I trudged back up to the truck with my bag. I put my camera carefully in my bag and climbed into the truck. I put the Beast in gear and winced at the loud rumble it released, I could hear the guys laughing down on the beach. I waved to them as I pulled away and made my way to Billy Black's home.

As Sam said, you couldn't miss the place. The little red house was cozy-looking, if small. I climbed out of the Beast and carefully juggled the small ice chest down off the seat. I used my foot to slide it along the ground to the porch. I climbed the stairs to the door and knocked. "Can I help you?" I heard someone ask. I turned and saw a young man standing at the bottom of the stairs, wiping his hands on a shop towel. I walked back down the stairs and smiled. "Yeah, hi. I'm Madison Swan, Charlie's daughter. Is he here?"

"No, they'll be back in a bit", he said, still staring at his hands, getting the black grease off of them.

"Oh, okay, great. Dad forgot his lunch, so I thought I'd bring lunch for all three of them while I was at it," I said and he finally looked up. He smiled at me and held out his hand to shake. I numbly took it, feeling my eyes widen. "Jacob Black, Billy's kid," he said, his dark eyes meeting mine. The same eyes that I'd seen again and again in my dreams beside Jasper's golden ones.


	10. Chapter 10

I smiled when Jacob's eyes widened for a moment when he finally actually looked up at me. I held my hand out to him to shake and he stood there in a stupor for a moment before taking it. Then he gasped and whispered "Crap!" I looked at him, raising a brow. "I probably just got oil all over your hand," he said, looking uncomfortable.

I looked at my hand and laughed. "Just a bit. No worries. Some Dawn dishwashing liquid will take that right off," I said. He looked surprised and I grinned at him. "Got any?" I asked. He nodded and opened the door to the house, inviting me in. He led the way to the small kitchen and showed me the bottle of the dish liquid on the sink, offering the sink to me first. I quickly washed my hands with the oil-and-grime dissolving liquid and dried my hands with a paper towel. I stepped back so he could wash his hands and sat on one of the chairs around the minuscule kitchen table.

"So what were you working on that had you getting grease everywhere?" I asked, knowing he was most likely working on the VW Rabbit that had been his pride and joy in the books. I grinned when he confirmed it.

"A VW Rabbit, huh? What year?" I asked.

"1978. I got lucky, it was still in really good condition to begin with," he replied.

" A '78? Wow, one of the originals here in the USA, then, before any of the makeovers in '79 and '81," I said. Jacob looked as if his eyes were going to bug straight out of his head. Ok, yes, I admit it, when Twilight first came out, I looked up information on VW Rabbits, because I wanted to know what one actually looked like. "What color is it?" I asked.

"Red," he replied.

I smiled. "I'd love to see it sometime. How close are you to having it finished?"

"Still looking for a carburetor. Don't suppose you know where I could find one?" he said, a grin on his face.

I tried not to laugh. "Give me a week, I could probably find you one," I said.

There was a noise at the front door and it opened, revealing Charlie, and two men I didn't recognize, one in a wheelchair, the other pushing him. They looked up and saw me and Jacob in the kitchen. I grinned and waved. "Hey dad!"

"Maddie, what are you doing here, honey?" he asked and I stood up and walked over to him, hugging him.

"You forgot your lunch! And I figured if I was bringing lunch for you, I might as well bring it for Harry and Billy too," I told him.

"Well that was thoughtful of you, sweetheart. Oh, by the way, Billy and Harry, this is my daughter Madison. Maddie, this is Harry Clearwater and Billy Black."

I smiled at them and shook their hands. "Pleasure to meet you both," I said. I turned to dad, "The lunch box is on the ground by the stairs, I couldn't lug it up without feeling off-balance and didn't want to drop it or end up falling right back down them." I grinned, both of us knowing my balance had days to rival Bella's. Stairs and I were not friends.

"I'll get it, Dad," Jacob said and walked outside. He returned in a few moments carrying the ice chest. I thanked him for his help and apologized for not having put food in for him as well.

"No problem. You didn't know I was going to be around," he said as he started to unpack the food for his dad, Harry and Charlie. "Though next time, remember me, please? This looks fantastic!"

I blushed. "Will do!" I promised. I turned back to dad and gave him a hug again. "I've gotta head home, as far as I know I've still got plans tonight. I'll be home probably around midnight or so, if that's ok?" I asked.

He thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that'll be ok, since it's not a school night. But midnight and no later unless something comes up. You've got that pepper spray in your purse still, right?" he asked.

Unlike Bella, I took safety precautions seriously. Not only did I have the pepper spray, but I had a taser as well. I didn't know if it would take down a vampire, but I remembered Kate's power from the books; it might at least give some time to get away if nothing else. And it would definitely drop anything else, even a shifter, I was pretty sure. "Absolutely," I replied, nodding.

I said my goodbyes to everyone. "I'll keep an eye out for that carburetor, Jacob!" I said, winking at him as I left, making him and everyone else laugh. I waved as I climbed into the Beast and pulled away. As I passed by the beach, I saw Paul, Jared and Sam chasing each other down the beach and honked the Beast's horn at them and waved. They waved back and I laughed as Paul dropped to his knees like he was heartbroken I was leaving. "Wait for me!" he shouted, making me laugh harder.

Just as I pulled into the driveway, my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and was shocked that I'd missed several calls and texts from Jasper and Alice. I yelped as there was a sudden knocking on the door of the Beast. I looked over to see Jasper standing there, looking incredibly angry, his eyes black as pitch instead of their usual golden color.

"Jasper?" I whispered worriedly. He yanked open the door, making it squeal loudly. He gently pulled me from the truck and ran his hands carefully over me as if checking me for injuries. "Jasper, honey, what's wrong?" I asked quietly, worried.

"Alice saw you disappear!" he choked out, pulling me to him and hugging me tightly. I buried my face into his neck. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was, how lost I would be without you?" he whispered, kissing my temple.

He took my still-ringing phone from my hand and answered it. "Yes, Alice. She's here. She's fine. No, I don't know why she disappeared, but I'll be sure to ask. Yes. Yes, we're still on for karaoke tonight, I'm assuming." I nodded and he affirmed it for the Pixie.

He hung up my phone and tucked it into my pocket, still not letting me go. I heard and felt him sigh and relax. When I looked up at him, his eyes had started to bleed back to their golden color, but a wide rim of black was still there. "Madison, love, I don't know whether to just never let you go again or just kidnap you, right now."

I snickered. "I don't think Dad would appreciate either one of those options, darlin'" I teased him. I blushed when I heard him growl and it did something warm to my insides. I shivered and found myself snuggling closer to him. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Where were you?" he asked, as we walked towards the house, the air having begun to take on a chill. I opened the door and walked inside, sitting on the couch as he sat down next to me. I slid over to lean against him. "I went down to La Push to take some photographs and take lunch to Dad, he forgot his this morning when he went to go fishing with his friends." I replied, yawning softly. I felt Jasper running his fingers through my hair and felt like I was going to start purring any moment. I loved it when people played with my hair, it was just so soothing to me. I heard Jasper chuckle and was certain he'd picked up on my feelings of contentment and pleasure as he continued to caress my locks.

"No falling asleep. Alice said she'll be here in an hour to help you dress. Personally, I can't wait to hear you sing again, darlin'," he said, reminding me about the plans for Karaoke tonight. Somehow while being in his arms, it'd slipped my mind. Strange how that happens, I thought, giggling to myself.

He kissed the top of my head. "You need to go ahead and get your shower in and everything before Alice gets here, you know how she is. I will see you later, my lady-love," he said and kissed my cheek before leaving at vamp-speed. I sighed and climbed the stairs. I checked in on Bella, only to find her sleeping, her mouth open and snoring lightly on her copy of Wuthering Heights. I pulled her quilt up over her shoulders, gently pulled the book out from under her head and carefully lifted her upper body and head to place her pillow under her. I dimmed her lights and pulled the door mostly shut. I wrote a quick message on the white-board on her door-our way of leaving messages for each other, we all had one on our doors-and grabbed my robe and toiletries before heading to the bathroom.

I finished my shower quickly, wrapping my hair in a towel and wrapping myself in my robe. I didn't bother dressing yet because I knew Alice would just make me change anyways. As I walked into my room, I heard a knocking at the front door. "Come in, Alice", I said, knowing she'd hear me. Sure enough, a second later, she was standing in my bedroom doorway. I waved at her, plopping on the edge of my bed. She grinned at me, knowing I wasn't going to give her any grief in what she chose unless it was indecently tight or short.

Within minutes, she'd chosen an outfit and tossed it to me. I grinned at what she'd chosen and shooed her out of the room for a few moments while I dressed. I slid on the black lace bra and panty set, pulling on a pair of tight-fitting bootcut black jeans, a plum-colored blouse with black lace overlay and pearlized snap buttons and a silvery belt with purple rhinestones on the buckle spelling out "Darling". I laughed at how perfect it was. I pulled on a pair of thick socks because of the cold and jerked when Alice flung open my door and shoved a pair of boots at me. They were the same silvery colored leather as my belt with a small heel. I pulled them on over my socks and laced them up the front. I adored them already.

I stood up and stepped in front of my tall cheval mirror and began to brush out my hair. I yelped when Rosalie appeared behind me. She had me sit down while she worked on my hair and I smiled when she finished and it resembled a picture I'd seen once of a Civil War era hairstyle: a bun wrapped with ribbons and the ribbons left to float behind as well. "Thanks, Rose, I love it," I said. She nodded and asked if I was ready to go.

I checked once more on Bella who was still sleeping and I gathered my wallet and ID, putting them in my purse. I left a message for Dad and reminded Alice and Rosalie that I had to be home by midnight. As I stepped outside, Jasper stood from where he'd been leaning against the side of Carlisle's Mercedes. His mouth gaped open for a moment as he took in my attire. I blushed as he walked up to me and lifted me off the porch, swinging me around for a moment and making me laugh.

"You look stunning," he said and let me slide down his hard body until my feet touched the ground again. I could feel my face burning as I leaned up and kissed him softly. I heard him growl in satisfaction, pulling me closer to him.

"You can kiss her later, Jasper! We've got to go or we won't have long to sing!" Alice said.

He huffed but released me. As I climbed into the Mercedes beside Jasper, who was driving, I saw Emmett's giant Jeep pull up on the street. I could see him and Phillip in the front seats and as we pulled out of the driveway, they drove behind us all the way to the club. We talked all the way to the club, arriving swiftly due to their inability to drive the recommended speed limit. As we climbed out of the vehicles, you could hear the loud music pumping from the building.

Alice grasped my hand, yanking me into the club. We showed our IDs, sent the boys off for drinks as we found a table in the back of the club. We listened to a few singers, some who weren't too bad, others who absolutely butchered their songs. I gasped as I heard my name announced. They all looked at me expectantly and I had to laugh when Alice asked, "Are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said and stood up, making my way to the stage.


	11. Chapter 11

Having gone over the book of available songs earlier with Rosalie and Alice, I knew already what my first singing adventure of the night would be. I smiled, remembering it was one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite movies as a kid. I was thrilled when I'd seen that there had been a whole page of songs dedicated to Disney in the songs-book. I spoke to the DJ and told him my selection before I stepped up to the microphone. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes to let the emotion flow through me and hummed the opening bars before I started to sing.

 _Baby mine, don't you cry_  
 _Baby mine, dry your eyes_  
 _Rest your head close to my heart_  
 _Never to part, baby of mine_

 _Little one when you play_  
 _Don't you mind what they say_  
 _Let those eyes sparkle and shine_  
 _Never a tear, baby of mine_

 _If they knew sweet little you_  
 _They'd end up loving you too_  
 _All those same people who scold you_  
 _What they'd give just for_

 _The right to hold you_  
 _From your head to your toes_  
 _You're so sweet, goodness knows_  
 _You are so precious to me_  
 _Sweet as can be, baby of mine_

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a room filled with open mouths and tear-filled eyes. And then I heard the clapping begin, starting from the corner where Alice and Rosalie were sitting and then others began to pick it up until the room was whistling and applauding. I smiled and waved and thanked the DJ before stepping down off the stage.

Of course, Alice was practically bouncing as I made my way over to our table. I picked up my glass of sprite and downed half of it before smiling at them. I noticed that even Rosalie was looking at me in surprise. "Are you sure you don't have a gift besides your psychic stuff? Because when you sang, it almost felt like..." she whispered.

I was suddenly concerned. "Like what, Rosalie?" I whispered.

"Like when Jasper influences a room. But yours seems tied to your singing."

I blinked in surprise. I'd never actually thought about it. Could this be one of the gifts the Angel-lady had given me? "I never really thought about it, Rosalie," I answered honestly. "I suppose it could be. I wonder if Jasper would be able to tell us, if he were here?" I said and turned to see what they found so funny when both of them broke into giggles. "Ok, what did me and the psychic whammy miss?"

At that minute, a waitress appeared by my side, a fresh glass of sprite on her tray. She placed it in front of me and leaned down to speak into my ear. "From the gentleman there," she said, tossing her head towards a booth a few feet away. I looked up to see golden eyes and honey-blonde hair and a satisfied smile. He tipped his own glass my way and I laughed. Emmett and Phillip were sitting beside him, and drinks appeared in front of Alice and Rosalie from another waitress. We laughed and I grabbed a napkin and wrote a quick note on it with a pen that I always kept in my bag.

Come on over, Cowboy.

I slicked on red lipstick quickly and kissed the napkin. I folded it and handed it to the waitress. "Could you give this to the so-generous gentleman, please?" She giggled and nodded, walking over to Jasper's booth. She handed him the napkin, pointing my way before walking away. He opened the napkin and looked up at me, his eyes darkening. I grinned at him and he grabbed his drink for appearance's sake and made his way through the crowded room to our table. Emmett and Phillip grabbed their drinks and joined us as well.

"Alice. Rosalie. Miss Swan," he said, a grin appearing on his face at my name. I used my toe to push a chair out for him. "Take a seat, cowboy," I said, winking at him. He grinned and pulled the chair out fully, moving it next to mine and sitting down. He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, making Alice giggle and Rosalie, Emmett and Phillip made gagging noises.

"You sang beautifully, Darlin'" he said and I smiled.

"Thank you, Jasper. By the way, we have a question for you," I said, catching his attention.

He waited while I thought of how to put it, and decided to simply ask it the only way I could think of. "When I'm singing, do you feel anything different, pick up anything with your gift? Rosalie thought she felt something earlier when I was singing, and it would certainly explain a few things I've noticed in the past while singing."

Jasper looked surprised for a moment and then seemed to be thinking back. "Now that I think about it, I did feel something, but I thought perhaps it was just the emotions in the room." He looked up at me and smiled. "Well, that's fascinatin' darlin'. Carlisle is going to be excited about this. It's strange for vampires to have more than one gift, let alone a human," he said.

"Hmm. Madison the freak. Yup, sounds about right," I said in a teasing tone, but with a hint of worry underneath it.

"Hey," Jasper said softly, his fingers coming up to gently grip my chin and turn my face his way. "Sweetheart, you are not a freak of any kind. You are beautiful and charismatic and I think maybe that charisma is a bit like my own influence when I was human. You like people, they sense it and they have a tendency to listen to you because of it." I smiled at him, trying not to blush as his still-slightly-darkened eyes searched mine. I nodded and he released my chin, placing another soft kiss on my cheek.

"I think the room is ready for another dose of your talent, Maddie," Alice said, wincing at the absolutely horrifying version of "Proud Mary" a trio were singing on the stage at the moment. Even Emmett was wincing and I felt bad for them all for a moment, with their enhanced hearing. I looked over at Alice. "How many times did you write my name down to sing?" I asked.

"Only three. Oh, and again with me and Rosalie later," she replied.

I groaned and let my head fall on Jasper's shoulder. He laughed and wrapped his arm around me, patting my shoulder comfortingly. I sighed and stood up to make my way to the stage. Several people-including a very loud and verbal Emmett- started to cheer when they saw me climbing the stairs again to the stage. I flipped through the book quickly and found a song I wanted to sing. I handed the book to the DJ and he nodded, smiling at me.

As the music began, I glanced up at our table and said quietly, "This one goes out to a particularly wonderful guy. This one's for you, Jasper." Even from my place on the stage, I could see his surprise and noticed him sit up straighter.

 _I set out on a narrow way many years ago_  
 _Hoping I would find true love along the broken road_  
 _But I got lost a time or two_  
 _Wiped my brow and kept pushing through_  
 _I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you_

 _[Chorus:]_  
 _Every long lost dream led me to where you are_  
 _Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars_  
 _Pointing me on my way into your loving arms_  
 _This much I know is true_  
 _That God blessed the broken road_  
 _That led me straight to you_  
 _(Yes He did)_

 _I think about the years I spent just passing through_  
 _I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you_  
 _But you just smile and take my hand_  
 _You've been there you understand_  
 _It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true._

 _Every long lost dream led me to where you are_  
 _Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars_  
 _Pointing me on my way into your loving arms_  
 _This much I know is true_  
 _That God blessed the broken road_  
 _That led me straight to you_  
 _(Yes He did)_

 _Yeah._

 _Now I'm just rolling home_  
 _Into my lover's arms_  
 _This much I know is true_  
 _That God blessed the broken road_  
 _That led me straight to you._

 _That God blessed the broken road_  
 _That led me straight to you._

Midway through the first line of the song, I saw people standing up and taking the hands of their dates/partners and make their way to the dance floor. I was thrilled when I saw Emmett and Rosalie and Alice and Phillip join them, Jasper still sitting and watching me as if entranced. Surprised but happy, I continued to sing as they began to dance to the song. I had to admit, it was the first time I'd ever had a group of people start dancing to a tune I was singing.

When the song ended, those on the dance floor turned to the stage and clapped along with the applause from the audience still seated. I blew a kiss Jasper's way, and waved to the people on the dance floor and in the audience before I again made my way to the table. I squealed when Jasper picked me up and swung me around in a circle before kissing me. I thought I'd swoon for a moment and was damn glad his arms were still wrapped around me. Dang dazzling sparklepire.

I grinned and blinked a little dazedly when he finally pulled back. He pulled me into his lap as he sat down and handed me my drink. I finished the first and started on the sprite he'd bought me. I leaned back into his chest, feeling his arms rest comfortably on my stomach. I grinned and leaned back to whisper in his ear. "Did you like that, Cowboy?"

He laughed and kissed me, a quick peck on the lips. "Yes ma'am, I surely did." I loved when he allowed his true accent out. It was one of the sexiest damn accents I'd ever heard, especially with his voice. I sighed happily and smiled. "I'm glad," I said. I looked over to Alice and Rosalie as they retook their seats with their respective partners. "So ladies, when are we on and what are we going to sing?" I asked.

"In about twenty minutes. I was thinking something fun and spunky. Miss Independent, maybe?" Alice said.

"I was thinking maybe My Boyfriend's Back by The Angels," Rosalie said.

I smiled at their songs, both of them were great and fun to sing. Then I thought of one and laughed. "How about Lady Marmalade?" I asked.

Both of their faces lit up, and Alice was bouncing on her chair. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" she cried. Rosalie grinned-a true grin, not a facsimile-for the first time since I'd met her. Her eyes were just as lit up in happy expectation as Alice's were.

"Whoa, calm down, Ali! Lady Marmalade it is, then," I said, sipping my drink. Sure enough, a short time later, the DJ called us up and we made our collective way to the stage. I took the lead after the girls made me, Alice handing our choice to the DJ. I could see Emmett standing up already, and smiled at the giant teddy bear of a man. His eyes were fixed on Rosalie and I couldn't stop the "awwwwww" in my mind at how much love showed in his eyes for her. I looked over to Phillip, with him watching every move that Alice made, the same love for her in his eyes that shone in Emmett's. And then my eyes fell on Jasper and I went nearly breathless when I saw the same emotion in his eyes as in Phillip and Emmett's, but his attention focused entirely upon me.

I went into a mild panic momentarily. How? How could this have happened so fast? We'd only known each other for a week! Could it maybe have something to do with the whole vampire thing? I remember from the books that it takes something incredibly strong to change a vampire. Could meeting me, being with me have been that change for Jasper?

I didn't have any more time to think as the music began and I made myself focus on the song. I took a deep breath and began, Alice and Rosalie getting into the song with me as we began to sing.

 _Hey Sister, Go Sister, Soul Sister, Go Sister_  
 _Hey Sister, Go Sister, Soul Sister, Go Sister_  
 _Hey Sister, Go Sister, Soul Sister, Go Sister_  
 _He met Marmalade down in Old New Orleans_  
 _Struttin' her stuff on the street_  
 _She said 'Hello,_  
 _Hey Joe, you wanna give it a go?_  
 _'Mmm Hmmm Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da_  
 _Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya_  
 _Here_  
 _Mocca chocolata Ya Ya_  
 _Creole Lady Marmalade_  
 _Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?_  
 _Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?_  
 _He savored her cool_  
 _While she freshed up_  
 _That boy drank all that magnolia wine_  
 _On the black satin sheets where_  
 _He started to freak_  
 _Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da_  
 _Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya Here_  
 _Mocca chocalata Ya Ya_  
 _Creole Lady Marmalade_  
 _Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?_  
 _Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?_  
 _Heh, Heh, Hehhhh_  
 _Seeing her skin feeling silky smooth_  
 _Colour of cafe au lait_  
 _Made the savage beast inside_  
 _Roaring till it cried More, More, More_  
 _Now he's at home doing 9 to 5_  
 _Living his brave life of lies_  
 _But when he turns off to sleep_  
 _All memories keep More, More, More_  
 _Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da Da_  
 _Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya here_  
 _Mocca chocolata Ya Ya_  
 _Creole Lady Marmalade_  
 _Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?_  
 _Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?_  
 _Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?_  
 _Creole Lady Marmalade_

The audience, led by Emmett and Phillip, of course (since Jasper was still a bit more restrained naturally in public) were clapping and cheering for us as we pulled the last note as long as I could hold it. We waved and stepped down off the stage, all of us hot and I was sweating like crazy. Jasper handed me a handful of napkins that I used to wipe the perspiration off of my face before downing the remainder of my sprite.

Jasper, seeing my glass empty, raised his hand to call over a waitress. She stopped for a second as she picked up my glass and smiled at me. "I just have to say, Miss, that you are one of the finest singers I've ever heard, and being a karaoke bar, I've heard lots. You should stop in on a Wednesday evening. We get scouts in here all the time, but on Wednesdays, there's usually quite a few because we have an open mike night for singers and songwriters. They'd snap you up in a heartbeat, honey," she said, taking my glass and returning in a few minutes with a fresh sprite. "On the house, honey. Boss says your singing has had people stick around for a lot longer than normal, which means they're buying more drinks than usual." She nodded at me and walked away.

I was wide eyed and then giggled. "Well then, here's to Karaoke night," I said raising my glass. The others laughed and raised theirs, but I was the only one who actually drank, though Jasper sipped, and swirled his drink in his mouth before swallowing the tiny bit of fluid. I surely hoped that it wasn't enough of an amount that he'd have to regurgitate later.

"So, what are you going to finish with tonight, Darlin'?" Jasper asked as I swung my legs back and forth between his on the chair.

"Not entirely sure. I kind of want to end the night with a bang. Something high energy and fun," I said. Alice and Rosalie turned to each other, whispering faster and lower than I could hear before Alice grinned and turned to me.

"I think I know the perfect song," she said. I raised a brow and she whispered it in my ear. I grinned and nodded. "Perfect!" I exclaimed.

"Well ladies and gentleman, this is it, the last song of the night. And we're thrilled to have it be sung by the girl who's been an absolute favorite tonight! Madison, get on up here. One more time, ladies and gentlemen, Madison!" the DJ said over the microphone and the room began to fill with whoops and applause as I stood from my spot on Jasper's lap and walked confidently to the stage. Emmett, Phillip, Alice, Rosalie and even Jasper stood and clapped, too.

For the last time that night, I showed the DJ my song choice and stood at the microphone. "Let's end tonight with something fun!" I said, and the cheers grew louder. I smiled as the music began and took that steadying breath before I began.

 _County road 233, under my feet_  
 _Nothin' on this white rock but little ole me_  
 _I've got two miles 'til he makes bail_  
 _And if I'm right we're headed straight for hell_

 _I'm goin' home, gonna load my shotgun_  
 _Wait by the door and light a cigarette_  
 _If he wants a fight well now he's got one_  
 _And he ain't seen me crazy yet_  
 _He slapped my face and he shook me like a rag doll_  
 _Don't that sound like a real man_  
 _I'm gonna show him what little girls are made of_  
 _Gunpowder and lead_

 _Well, it's half past ten, another six pack in_  
 _And I can feel the rumble like a cold black wind_  
 _He pulls in the drive, the gravel flies_  
 _He don't know what's waiting here this time_

 _Hey! I'm goin' home, gonna load my shotgun_  
 _Wait by the door and light a cigarette_  
 _If he wants a fight well now he's got one_  
 _And he ain't seen me crazy yet_  
 _He slapped my face and he shook me like a rag doll_  
 _Don't that sound like a real man_  
 _I'm gonna show him what little girls are made of_  
 _Gunpowder and lead_

 _His fist is big but my gun's bigger_  
 _He'll find out when I pull the trigger_

 _I'm goin' home, gonna load my shotgun_  
 _Wait by the door and light a cigarette_  
 _If he wants a fight well now he's got one_  
 _And he ain't seen me crazy yet_  
 _He slapped my face and he shook me like a rag doll_  
 _Don't that sound like a real man_  
 _I'm gonna show him what little girls are made of_  
 _Gunpowder and, gunpowder and lead_

 _Gunpowder and lead_

 _Hey!_

I was thrilled when part of the audience began to sing along with me. The energy was amazing and I was feeling rather wired. The song ended and I made my way through the audience, receiving many congratulations on a job well done, a few guys asking for my number (I could practically hear Jasper growling with each one), and a lot of handshakes and back-pats from happy, slightly tipsy customers.

Back at the table, we sat for a few minutes to let people clear out of the room and parking lot before we decided to leave. I finished my drink and tossed a $20 tip down for the waitress. Jasper looked like he was going to object for a moment, before I gave him a look. "I know you would pay for it, sweetheart, but I had such a great time tonight and she was a good waitress, that I want to leave the tip tonight. I used to wait tables, I know it can be a pain in the ass and a good tip makes you feel better at the end of the night," I said, smiling at him. He nodded and when I had my head turned, tossed another $20 bill on the table. I grinned at him when I saw it and kissed his cheek.

"Well, folks, are we ready to go?" I asked. They all nodded and we made our way outside. The air was slightly chilly and we hurried to the cars, more for me than them. Alice and Rosalie climbed into the massiveness that was Emmett's jeep while Jasper and I returned to Carlisle's black Mercedes. Jasper flicked the heater on as soon as the car started and within a few moments, a blast of warm air was hitting me and I sighed happily, snuggling down into my seat.

"Did you have a good time, Darlin'?" Jasper asked. I looked at him wide-eyed. "Are you kidding? This was by far one of the best nights of my life!" I exclaimed and grinned at him. He reached over with one hand and ran his fingertips lightly over my cheek. I leaned into his hand and smiled at him. His eyes darkened a bit and I recognized it as desire. I blushed and he faced forward again to watch the road. I took his hand in mine and twined our fingers together. I saw his lips curve into a smile.

As we finally passed into Forks, Emmett's jeep turned towards their home, leaving only Jasper and myself in the Mercedes. As the houses passed by, getting closer to mine, I wished that the night didn't have to end. Jasper seemed to be of the same thought, as he pulled into the driveway and escorted me up the short set of stairs that led onto the porch. He sighed and stared into my eyes. He let his forehead drop gently to mine, his blonde curls forming a short curtain around our faces.

He pressed his lips gently to mine and I kissed him back. His eyes flew open as I moaned softly and before I knew it, I was pressed against the wall beside the door, his hands gripping my ass and lifting me. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he pressed against me, grinding his hard length against my core. I gasped into his mouth and he slid his tongue inside mine, exploring it thoroughly. I whimpered in need as his gift seemed to take all of my desire and push it back through me, amplified with his own.

Part of my brain was crying out for more, the other was saying that this was all happening too fast. As if he could hear my contrasting thoughts, he was suddenly stepping back from me, letting my feet drop back to the ground. Both of us were breathing hard, even though he had no true need of breathing. He slid his thumbs along my cheeks, his eyes black as the darkest night.

He kissed me again, so very gently, as though afraid I would break. And then he spoke and I knew it wasn't Jasper any longer. " **Mine** ," he said.

I blinked in surprise. I felt my heartbeat pick up, but kept my voice as calm and steady as possible. "Hello, Major. I was wondering when you were going to show up."

* * *

 **Well, there you have it, folks. A super-long chapter for you all! I hope you enjoyed it! Wishing all of you who are observing it a very happy (and hopefully safe and blessed) Easter Sunday.**

 **~Kiki**

 **Also, the song choices for this chapter are:**

Baby Mine from the Disney movie Dumbo. Celtic Woman does a beautiful version of this song if you want to hear it.

Bless the Broken Road by Rascall Flatts

Lady Marmalade by Patti Labelle

Gunpowder and Lead by Miranda Lambert


	12. Chapter 12

Apparently that was the Major's cue to bury his face against my throat, breathing in my scent deeply. I closed my eyes as his cool lips slid along my skin, my body still attuned and sensitive from mine and Jasper's earlier activities. I heard the Major let out a deep, rumbling chuckle. " **I can** ** _smell_** **you** ," he said. His voice was strangely deeper, with more of a growl, than Jasper's. My face suffused with blood when I realized he meant that he could smell my arousal.

He pressed my body tighter against the wall of the house, though there really wasn't much room to do so anyways. I jerked in surprise and shivered when I felt his cool, wet tongue slide along my collarbone and his hands gripping my hips tightened to not-quite bruising. I let my head fall forward, resting on his shoulder as he began to let out a loud, rumbling, growling purr. I bit back a smile.

And then I was flying through the air before my back slammed against the wall again. As I looked up, Major had moved us away from the entry and windows and was facing away from me, a horrendous, frightening, growling and hissing sound coming from him. I looked up to see Edward, Alice, Phillip and Emmett standing there, looking terrified. "Jasper?" Edward pleaded, the idiot taking a step forward, quickly backtracking when Major let out an ear-splitting roar.

" **My. Mate**!" he stated, pressing me slightly tighter between his back and the wall of the house. I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as he glanced back at me for a heartbeat before facing back to his "enemies."

All of a sudden my phone began to ring, jarring me. I whipped it out and saw only "Unknown Number" on the screen, but with a sudden flash of vision, I knew who it was. I answered the phone, taking it immediately to speaker. "All of you, get down on the ground immediately and bare your necks. Be submissive. Do it now if you want to live," came a deep voice from the device.

"Peter, as usual, your timing is impeccable," I said. Major looked back at me, his eyes on the phone for a second before he turned back to the group of vampires in front of him. Luckily, they were listening to Peter's advice and were prostrating themselves, their necks bared in a submissive pose, allowing the Major to see that they posed no threat.

I could hear the vampire on the other end of the phone chuckle. "Thanks, Baby Cakes. Major, Sir."

Major nodded towards the phone. "Captain," he said, his voice taking on an authoritative vibe. He stood out of his crouch he'd taken on while acting protective over me. I sighed internally in relief.

Peter spoke again, to me this time. "Think you can handle it from here, Baby Cakes?" he asked.

"I think so, Peter. See you and Charlotte in a few weeks," I said. There was a brief pause before he answered. I could almost hear his grin over the phone as he answered. "That you will, Sweet Cheeks! Take care of the Major for us, darlin'!"

"Will do my best," I replied, turning off the phone and placing it back in my pocket. I looked up to see the Major staring at me. I raised my hand slowly to him and he took it, burying his nose against my pulse point and breathing in my scent. I could almost feel him relaxing, though his gaze would flash to the still forms of the vampires near us. I used my hand to turn his face towards me. "It's alright, Major. They'd never hurt me. They're family, not enemies. Not rivals. I'm your mate. Not theirs. You can let Jasper go now. I promise he'll protect me, too."

He frowned and I realized he was unwilling to go. I smiled gently at him. "Would you like me to sing for you before you go?" I asked quietly. He nodded, his curls falling forward a little and a mischievous little-boy like smirk graced his lips. I caressed his cheek softly and smiled at him, wondering suddenly how adorable Jasper had been as a child. Cute, but an absolute handful, I was sure.

"How about we sit on the swing," I said, and within half a second, I was seated on his lap on the swing and he was leaning his head on my breast. I had to stop myself from laughing as he looked up into my eyes, that glint of mischief still on his face. I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair as I began to sing again. His face smoothed out and his eyes slowly lightened as I repeated the song Baby Mine from earlier in the evening.

I could practically pinpoint the moment of change when the Major released Jasper from the prison of his mind. It was a matter of one blink to the next from the personality of the Major back to my Jasper. I heard him gasp and stare up at me, eyes wide in shock and I felt a flash of fear flow through me from his gift.

I tried to assure him that I was fine, unhurt, but he was already running his hands over my body checking for any harm. "Jasper. Jasper!" I called to him, finally pulling him from his panic. He looked back at me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight against his body. His eyes were pooled with venom, the closest he could come to tears. "God, Madison, he took over before I could stop him. I was terrified. Are you sure you're alright, baby?"

I smiled and nuzzled against his cheek, surprising him. "I'm fine, Jasper. He didn't hurt me. Hell, he was just as worried about hurting me as you are. I think he wanted to officially "meet me." When he saw Edward and the others show up, he was trying to protect me. Luckily, Peter called in time to keep them from getting killed."

Jasper only then looked up and saw his siblings still on the lawn. "Can we get up now? This is boring," I heard Emmett ask and I laughed.

"Get up, Grumpy Bear!" I called out to him, still grinning.

"Thank God," he said and stiffly stood, wiping his hands and pant legs off. The others slowly got to their feet as well. Edward hurried up the steps to me. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. I grimaced at him.

"Edward, it's probably a good idea if you never, ever do that again. Coming anywhere near a vampire like the Major without permission, especially in the presence of his mate, is a damn good way to get yourself torn to bits and burned!" I said. "Besides, you just got home, Carlisle and Esme would be devastated," I grinned at him. "Welcome home, by the way," I said.

He gave me an odd look but nodded. I smiled. "Don't worry, they've all already figured out I'm a bit strange. You'll get used to me," I said as Jasper pulled me into his side, his face buried into my hair. I giggled when his nose nudged my ear, strangely tickling it.

"I take it you got a vision of the Major showing up, Alice?" I questioned, looking towards the pixie who had hopped up onto the steps and was heading my way. I hip-bumped Jasper and stepped away from him for a moment to hug Alice.

"I couldn't see anything once he showed up. It gave me a scare. Edward saw the vision and of course when it went blank like that, we assumed the worst. Sorry, Jasper," she said, looking sad.

He sighed and nodded, looking resigned to the fact that his family didn't fully trust him around any human. I growled, catching all of their attention. "You know, did it ever occur to all of you that instead of making Jasper feel like the weak link in the chain, you could build him up instead? You think that he is weak because he's the newest to the vegetarian lifestyle you all lead, but I say he is the strongest out of all of you. Not only does he have to put up with his own thirst, but he absorbs all that you are feeling as well. So many vampires in one house, all of you thirsty no matter how much you drink. Of course there's going to be slip ups when the urge to drink is compounded by so much extra from each of you." I said, remembering the conversations I'd had with friends in my life before about how Jasper's gift would have enhanced not just the emotions he'd picked up from others, but their thirst as well, since it was a very strong emotion tied in with their very being as vampires.

Jasper looked at me in shock, as did the rest of them. "You really think that, Madison?" Edward asked. Emmett and Phillip looked thoughtful, Alice looked jubilant and Jasper just continued to stare at me in surprise.

"It makes sense, doesn't it? Your thirst is part of who you are, it's as strong as the emotions around you, tied in with your emotions. Of course he'd pick up on that, just as he does every other emotion in the house, no matter how he tries to put a barrier between his own and others'," I replied.

"We need to discuss this with Carlisle!" Alice said, grinning. She ran down the stairs, grabbing Phillip's hand in hers and they were gone in seconds. Emmett took one last look at me, his head tilting as he gave me a studying look, before he too had disappeared. I turned to look at Edward. He was frowning at me and I grinned. "Still nothing?" I asked.

He shook his head. "So strange. You and your sister are the first I've ever come across that I can't read."

"Now you know how the rest of us mortals feel," I said, winking at him. His face broke into a grin before he nodded.

"I'll leave you two alone to say goodnight," he said and he was off.

I sighed. "Finally," I said, turning back to my Jasper. His eyes were closed and I ran both my hands along his cheeks and back through his hair, coming to rest on the back of his neck. His eyes opened and were a bright, happy gold. He smiled at me.

"Hello, beautiful," he said. He leaned forward, brushing his lips over mine.

"'lo, handsome," I replied. He sighed.

"Guess I have to say goodnight now, don't I?"

"Well, you could. Or you could always climb up and hold me while I sleep," I said, grinning at him.

"You wouldn't think that's weird?" he asked.

I giggled. "Would I be any safer than with my big, strong vampire boyfriend?" I teased him.

He grinned at me. "No ma'am," he answered.

"Well then, I'll see you in about thirty minutes," I said, giving myself time to be human for a bit and get a shower in before he'd return. He nodded and kissed me "goodnight" before disappearing into the trees.

I unlocked the door, wondering how in the hell Dad and Bella hadn't heard the earlier confrontation. I got my answer when I walked into the living room. Dad was passed out on the couch, the tv sky-high. I swear he was going to go deaf with as loud as he kept that tv. I woke him up, kissed him on the cheek and sent him to bed.

Bella, I found, had fallen asleep with her headphones and mp3 player on. I turned it off, tucking her in and switching off her bedside lamp. I gathered my bag of toiletries and headed into the bathroom. I quickly did my business, showered and dried off. I walked back into my room in just my towel. I gasped in surprise when Jasper's voice came out of the semi-darkness. "Now that's just cruel and inhumane torture," he said, motioning to me in just a towel, his grin looking so very naughty.

I smirked at him and whipped the towel off, flinging it into his face with a laugh. I hurried to pull on clean underwear and a bra, and a long tshirt that I used to sleep in for sheer comfort after the rather hectic evening. I pulled the blankets back on my bed, switching on the electric blanket I'd had a vision of putting on the bed earlier that evening. Now I knew why.

"Are you coming?" I asked, raising a brow at him. He blinked in surprise and I climbed into bed, hearing a whooshing sound as he quickly joined me. I laid my head on his chest, humming to myself as his cool arms wrapped around me. I could feel his fingertips running through my hair, soothing me. "'night, Jasper," I whispered as my eyes closed.

"Goodnight, love," he answered as sleep took me into dreams.


	13. Hiatus

Hey everybody. I really hate to do this, but I've got to put the story on Hiatus. My laptop finally kicked the bucket. *funeral dirge* I will do my best to get a new laptop as soon as possible and get back to writing. Thanks so much for all your amazing support.

~KiKi


	14. Chapter 13

**Hi Everyone! Great news, I have a new laptop! I simply couldn't wait to start writing again, so here we go, Chapter 13! Enjoy!**  
 **~Kiki**

* * *

Sunday morning dawned a pale gray. I yawned and snuggled closer to the cool marble-like body of my Jasper. I heard him chuckle and peeked up at him. His ocher eyes peered down at me, a smile gracing his stunning face. "Good morning, beautiful," he said, pressing a kiss to my lips. I smiled against his lips and giggled when he pressed me back against the sheets, trailing tickling kisses down my neck and shoulders.

He pulled back and kissed the tip of my nose before sighing and moving quickly from the bed. "Bella is coming, I shouldn't be here when she arrives. Until tomorrow, love," he said, and was gone in a flash, out the window. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head grumpily. Within minutes, Bella had opened my door and flopped on the bed next to me. "Get up, sleepyhead!" she greeted me.

"No. Tired," I complained.

Unfortunately she wasn't taking no for an answer and yanked my blankets off and pushed me out of the bed. I landed with a loud yelp and a glare at my twin. I sighed and stood up, grabbing clean clothes and heading for the shower. After an invigorating hot fifteen-minute shower, I emerged dressed and ready for the day.

After a filling breakfast of blueberry pancakes, Dad, Bellla and I all decided to make it a movie day. We each picked one of our favorite movies, and Bella and I made snacks. Settled on the couch with salty, buttery popcorn, warm, fudgy brownies, a bowl of salt and vinegar potato chips and another bowl of skittles. Tall glasses of iced soda were sat on the coffee table in front of us. We all snuggled back into the couch, clutching our current snack of choice as we started the movies, Dad's choice first. His pick was Dances with Wolves, the director's cut version, which added almost forty minutes to the already long, but excellent movie.

After Bella and I got done wiping our tears away at the sad goodbye between Wind In His Hair and Dances with Wolves, we all took our turns at a bathroom break, refilling our drinks, and Bella and I made a quick lunch of sandwiches, though none of us were really that hungry after munching on snacks during the movie. But it made us feel healthier, so we did it anyways. Next it was Bella's turn; unsurprisingly it was Sense and Sensibility. Well, at least I got to leer at Alan Rickman.

Finally it was my turn. I gleefully switched out Sense and Sensibility for my pick and hopped back on the sofa with Bella and grabbed the remote to hit play. I smiled as they both groaned, while the opening scene began to play, speaking the words in time with the narrator.

"Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young Prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the Prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle And offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the Prince sneered at the gift, and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for Beauty is found when he dismissed her again,  
the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful Enchantress. The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart.

And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the Beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered, was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for many years. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love... A Beast?"

While they complained about not having to watch it again, two hours later had both of them shaking off the effects of being immersed in a good movie. We all yawned, stretched and took another round of bathroom breaks. Afterwards, Dad started to watch a basketball game on tv while Bella and I started to prepare supper. After a short debate, we decided on a quick meal of salisbury steaks, mashed potatoes and green beans. While Bella formed hamburger into the patties, I peeled and diced potatoes, tossing them in a pot of cold water and turning the burner up to medium-high. I used a large knife to cut both ends off of the fresh green beans before cutting them in half and adding them to a smaller saucepan of boiling.

Dinner was done shortly and we all sat down at the kitchen table to eat and talk about our expectations for the week. Both Bella and I had tests in a couple of classes, but otherwise our week was pretty open. Until I remembered that Edward was returning to school tomorrow as well, which meant that The Accident was due on Tuesday. Well damn, there went my Government test. I felt a frission of panic run down my spine. While I knew that in the book Edward was able to rescue Bella, my mind went into the "What if things have changed because I'm here" zone.

I grimaced and pushed away my half-eaten meal. Dad and Bella looked at me in concern and I gave them a half-smile. "Feeling kind of sick to my stomach from earlier. I think I'll put this away to eat later. I'm going to go shower and lay down. Night," I said softly and stood up. I wrapped my plate with plastic wrap and placed it in the refrigerator. I kissed Bella and Dad on the top of their heads and climbed the stairs to the bathroom. I threw my clothes in the hamper, turned the water on to heat up and stood in front of the mirror over the sink. I ran my fingers through my hair, staring at my reflection.

"Bella is going to be fine. Edward will save her. Don't do this to yourself," I said, then snorted as I said, "and Jasper isn't here to make you feel better." That made me smile and I turned to slide into the shower. I sighed as the hot water hit my tensed shoulders. I sang to myself as I soaped up and then shampooed my hair, twisting it up onto the top of my head. I rinsed off and climbed out of the shower, wrapping myself in a large warm towel and using another to dry my hair. I walked back to my room and pulled out my most comfortable pair of pajamas (a pale blue with white clouds and unicorns on them).

I braided my damp hair and curled up under my blankets. I pulled the book I was currently reading (Talisman by S.E. Akers) from my nightstand drawer and began reading until I was so sleepy I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. As I fell asleep, I sent a quick prayer to whoever was listening that my being here wouldn't change the original outcome of The Accident.

Monday morning arrived faster than I would have liked. Bella and I were both dragging a little this morning and I grabbed both of us a bottle of juice and an energy bar. I handed hers to her as we walked out the door, both of us climbing into the Beast. I ate my energy bar and quickly drank my juice, just as we were pulling into the parking lot. My eyes immediately located Jasper and I felt my face light up.

I turned to Bella, who rolled her eyes and made shooing motions with her hands. "Go! Go stand with your boyfriend. I've got some stuff to read before class. See you in English!" She said, and waved as she hopped out of the truck. I followed suit and clambered down off the Beast's seat. I pulled my coat snuggly around me in the slightly windy weather and shuffled through the slightly icy ground to Jasper's side. I waved hello with a polite "Good morning!" to them all as Jasper wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer into his side.

I grinned up at him and wrapped my arms around him as well. "You're in a good mood," he said. "What's not to be happy about. I woke up this morning, I have food in my stomach, I have a ride to school and I get to spend time with my boyfriend. That's more than most people get," I replied. He looked at me oddly for a moment. "If only more people thought like you, darlin', the world would be a much happier place. You're happy with the simplest things."

I shrugged and just leaned my head against his side. I yelped when Alice suddenly appeared at my side accompanied by Edward. "Hi," I said, waving lightly at the both of them. I groaned as I heard the bell ring. "Time for the torture," I said, grimacing. I stuck my tongue out at them when they all laughed. Happily for me, Jasper escorted me to English class before going to his own. As I sat beside Bella, she made kissy noises.

"You just wait til you have a boyfriend. I'm going to make your life hell," I joked, smacking her lightly on the arm.

"Too late," she teased back, before Mr. Mason began speaking.

The rest of the day passed slowly as I waited eagerly for Biology. The minute I left Spanish, Jasper was again by my side. Bella grinned at us and made cooing noises before waving at us as she sat down at the table with Eric, Mike, Tyler, Jessica, Lauren and Angela. The only one of them I could stand in the least little bit was Angela; I did not miss sitting at the table with the rest of them.

Rosalie only made a token groan when she saw Jasper and I heading towards the table with our trays. Today's specialty was somewhat edible: Ham sandwiches, baked macaroni and cheese, shredded lettuce salad, and sliced canned peaches for dessert. As the others talked softly among themselves, I took a bite of the macaroni and cheese. Hmm...not bad, I decided, though my homemade version was better.

A sudden vision had me going still. As I watched, Bella sat down beside an amber-eyed Edward at her table in Biology. My vision cleared and I grinned. Seeing my smile, Jasper turned to me to see what had made me so happy. "I'll tell you later, if it all goes as I saw it," I said. He merely nodded and pulled my chair closer to him, making me lean into his side as I finished my food and stole a bite of his blueberry pie. He grinned and kissed the tip of my nose, as I felt his fingertips run through the ends of my hair.

When the bell rang, I gave him a quick kiss and told him I'd see him after school. I hurriedly dumped my garbage and handed the tray to the woman behind the counter. I practically skipped to Biology and chuckled when I saw Edward sitting in the chair in front of mine. I nodded at him, which he returned, before taking my seat. I leaned back, and simply watched as Bella entered the room.


	15. Chapter 14

**I'm sorry for the lack of updates lately. Unfortunately real life has decided to interfere. My mother died on the 11th of August and I am currently dealing with her loss and some other health issues. As always, I will never (intentionally) abandon a story, but it may take me a while to update again because of all that's going on making it rather difficult to get into a writing mode. Thank you all for your wonderful support and reviews. I love them, each and every one.**

 **~Kiki**

* * *

I watched as the events unfolded exactly as they had been described in the book, except with me behind them doing my best not to act like I was watching their every minute move. And doing my damnedest not to squee...out loud, at least. Inside I was absolutely fangirling hard. Who didn't, originally after reading the original Twilight book before Meyer had written and released the other books?

As I watched the completely awkward interaction, I couldn't help but smirk. I listened as they passed the microscope back and forth. I looked over at my obviously stoned and sleeping partner and sighed before grabbing my own rack of specimens and the microscope. I finished just as Mr. Banner walked up to Bella and Edward, and smiled as Edward gave Bella her due as far as naming several of the slides herself.

I grimaced when Bella began to explain about us "sending ourselves" here after Mom remarried. While it was true that Mom missed Phil when he was away, she truly didn't seem to mind staying with us when he was away. We always had girl time. But for some reason, Bella got it in her head that we should move in with Dad so Mom could "be young" and travel with Phil. Of course, I had nothing bad to say about moving in with Dad, especially with my foreknowledge of the story, but Mom was an adult and had been for years. We were teenagers, we were the ones supposed to "be young."

But Bella and I were both old souls (me, literally, having lived before) and preferred to sit and read a book compared to going out and getting drunk and partying. I enjoyed people, but I had some very bad moments of social anxiety and because of it, it was almost like I forced myself to be extroverted. I'd walk up to someone laughing, happy and ready to give hugs, meanwhile internally I was telling myself that I was stupid and that they would never want a hug or anything from me.

The bell ringing pulled me out of my darkening thoughts and I stood to grab my things, flicking my partner on his ear. He grunted and opened his eyes. "Class's over," I told him before walking out the door with Bella and Mike who had decided to grab her books and escort us to gym. I growled lowly when I heard what he was saying about "Cullen."

Bella and I both tuned him out as we walked, then we changed out. Luckily I was on Bella's team this time, thank God! And for some reason Mike, who was also on our team, decided he was going to play both his and Bella's positions. I am definitely not sure that this is the best of ideas. Somehow we managed to escape P.E. with no major mishaps.

The rain had turned into a mist when we left the building to climb into the giant red rust bucket, aka The Beast. Bella jacked the heater as high as it would go; it took forever but soon we both stopped shivering. I laughed and then yelped as Bella decided to try and kill us both by backing out of the parking spot without looking. We nearly crushed an old Toyota before Bella stomped on the brakes, nearly giving us both whiplash. I laughed at her annoyed expression and noticed Edward laughing as well when we passed by.

We arrived home and did the mandatory homework. When Dad arrived home, I threw myself at him for a big hug. "DAD!" I shouted as I wrapped my arms around him. He rolled his eyes before smiling and leaning down to wrap his arms around me back. I grinned up at him and kissed his cheek. "Missed you Dad," I said. I felt him place his chin on top of my head and hold me tighter for a just a moment. I knew he was thinking about the reports of missing people in the woods.

He finally released me and walked into the kitchen. "So, what's for supper?" He asked. I grinned and skipped to the oven, nearly bowling over Bella. I opened the oven and a savory scent filled the air, making everyone's stomachs growl. I grinned and pulled out the baking dish. "Meatloaf!" I said.

Now, I know meatloaf is not usually the meal thought of as something to be happy about. Obviously you've never tried mine. I cut thick slices of the meatloaf and put them on plates while Bella served the homemade mashed potatoes and a small pile of creamed spinach on each plate. We carried it all to the table while Dad grabbed drinks.

"So, how did today go, girls?" He asked.

"Well, Bella almost killed us," I stated, grinning at him.

Dad dropped his fork and looked at me as Bella stomped on my foot. "OW!" I shouted. I glared at her as she glared back at me.

"It was nothing, Dad," she said, trying to calm him down. He picked up his fork and she continued. "I just wasn't careful enough as I was pulling out of my parking space. I almost hit another car and stomped on the brakes. Miss Overreaction here is being a drama queen. I did not almost give you whiplash, Maddie!" she said, poking me with her fork. (Hehe, forks, get it? God, ok, I'm going to shut up now!)

I squealed and just as I was getting ready to launch a forkful of mashed potatoes at her my dad cleared his throat threateningly. "Madison Mikayla Swan!"

Damn, he used the full name. I sighed in defeat and put the mashed potatoes in my mouth. All three of us just looked at each other and within seconds all three of us were laughing. "Well Bella, I guess you'll be checking a little more carefully before pulling out from now on," Dad said and Bella nodded.

"And I'll start bringing my neck brace!" I said, my voice perky for some weird reason.

"Madison!" both Dad and Bella shouted. I simply grinned and laughed at their expressions.

We finished dinner without any other craziness. Bella still had homework to finish, so I collected the dishes and washed them, singing as I did so. When I was done, I gathered my things and headed upstairs to my room. As I walked in and shut the door behind me, I gasped as I was shoved against the door in the darkened room. I squeaked in surprise before recognizing the cold arms that pressed me back against the door. "Jasper!" I whisper-shouted, smacking him in the chest lightly.

I heard him chuckled and then his lips were upon mine. "Hello, Darlin'" he said into my ear, his lips grazing the lobe and making me shiver. I exhaled slowly and leaned into him, feeling his arms wrap around me.

"Hello, Handsome," I repiled, my arms coming up around his chest. Just like Dad, I felt him rest his chin on the top of my head. I also could have sworn I heard him purring in contentment from holding me. I nearly yelped when he suddenly picked me up and moved us over to the bed at vampire speed, before he laid me on it gently, taking my backpack and jacket and laying them on my desk chair. I grinned as he vamp-sped right back to me, sliding next to me on the bed. I curled up next to him, laying my head over the spot his non-beating heart would be. I felt him start to run his fingertips through my hair. He loosed it from it's braid and slowly finger-combed the now-crimped-looking strands.

"How did today go, love?" He asked.

I groaned. "Well, let's see, after I saw you at lunch, Bella decided to talk to Edward again, which led to her telling him about why we moved here...or at least her reasoning for it. Then I got to watch her daydream all about him all the way through P.E. Thank god, I was on her team or you might be seeing me at the hospital with a concussion after having been beaned in the head by a volley-ball-wielding Bella." I said with a grin. "And then as if that wasn't enough, Bella's truck nearly crushed this itsy bitsy foreign car. They better be glad the Blacks kept that thing in good condition and the brakes were nearly new, otherwise that car would be scrap metal," I giggled.

I looked into his face and saw his smirk. I suddenly gripped his shirt hard as a vision hit me and I gasped out his name as I watched it unfold.

Bella by her truck. The sound of screeching tires. The van flying towards my sister while I couldn't move, held back by an immovable force. Then Edward was there, stopping the van from crushing the life from my twin. I continued to watch as the vision unfurled.

"Bella! Are you alright?" Edward was asking my sister frantically. She was laying in his arms, blinking dumbly at Tyler's van which now had an Edward's-hand-shaped dent in it.

"I'm fine," Bella said, grimacing.

"Be careful," he said as she started squirming in his arms, trying to get away from him. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."

My vision cleared and Jasper was staring at me worriedly. I shook my head to clear it. "Be right back," I whispered and raced to the bathroom to splash water on my face. The cold water shocked my system enough to bring me fully back to the now. I returned to my room, shutting and locking my door before climbing back into bed with Jasper, who was now leaning up against the headboard.

"Is everything okay, darling?" He asked quietly, gently wiping a few remaining droplets of water from my forehead. I nodded vigorously, trying to push back the sliver of fear I still felt about tomorrow morning. But I decided to put my faith in whoever or whatever had sent me here and smiled at him.

"Everything is going to be just fine," I answered, before he pulled me to him, his rhythmic stroking of my hair and contented purring drawing me into sleep.


	16. Chapter 15

The bright whiteness of snow awakened me the next morning. Jasper stood in front of the window, staring out of it. I smiled as I watched him, and wondered if he could see the difference in each and every flake. When I raised my hand to cover a wyawn, he turned to me and smiled before bounding lightly back into the bed and wrapping me in his arms. We both heard Bella waken, with her groaning at how bright the snow had made everything.

I personally loved the snow. I loved standing out in it when I was a child in my life before, when we'd lived in the midwest for a short period of time. Standing amid all that falling whiteness, listening as everything became so still and silent as the snow accumulated. It was beautiful and majestic. It was both invigorating and meditative. I used to be able to sit in front of our bay window-seat and watch the snow fall for hours, in single flakes as small as the head of a needle or in clumps as big as my hand.

I grinned at Jasper and kissed his cheek quickly before rushing to my dresser and pulling out a pair of thick socks, a heavy tshirt with a chunky-knit cream-colored sweater, black jeans and a jade-colored bra-and-panty set. I heard Jasper's groan when he saw me pull them out. He sped over to me, looking me in the eye as he ran a finger along the satin of the crotch area of the panties. My insides seemed to clench. "Don't tease me, darlin'," he said, in a low growling voice. I blushed and couldn't stop watching his finger as it rubbed and rubbed against the satin, my gutter mind imagining what those panties would be covering.

I leaned up and kissed him, hearing him growl against my lips as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him. He kissed me breathless, only pulling back when there was a tap on my window and both of us turned (me gasping for air) to see Edward frowning at us. I stuck my tongue out at him, making him roll his eyes. He dropped down from the window and I turned back to Jasper. I kissed him again softly before shooing him out the window. "I'll see you in a little bit, love," I said, with one last soft kiss before he dropped out of my window and ran towards the woods behind the house.

I quickly pulled on the clothes I had chosen, including the jade-colored satin underwear. I brushed my hair and braided it back, leaving it to swing against my spine. I grabbed my bag of textbooks and my heavy coat and thumped down the stairs, singing a rendition of "O' Danny Boy".

I walked into the kitchen and turned on the burner. This was the perfect morning for homemade hot chocolate, especially since it would only take a few minutes. I gathered my ingredients: milk, sugar, semisweet chocolate chips, vanilla extract and whipped cream. I added the milk, sugar, and chocolate to the saucepan, bringing it up to nearly boiling while I stirred with a whisk. Once the chocolate had melted into the milk, I pulled it off the burner and added the vanilla extract. I poured the cocoa into mugs, topped them with whipped cream and a few chocolate chips. "Bella!" I called upstairs.

"What?"

"I've got hot chocolate ready! Come and get it before we have to leave!" I yelled back. I heard her clomping down the stairs, there was a loud bang and an exagerated "Ow!" before Bella appeared in the doorway, clutching her elbow.

I winced in sympathy. "Wall?"

She nodded and rubbed at her elbow before sitting down and basking in the gloriousness that was homemade hot chocolate. Sadly, we had to hurry, there was no time to truly enjoy it, but it still was damned tasty! We gathered our bags and coats, slipping them on before braving the cold iciness.

On the way to school, Bella and I discussed Mike and Eric's advances trying to get Bella to ask them to the girl's choice dance. The minute we pulled into the parking lot, I launched myself from the vehicle, running towards Alice and Jasper who were standing by Edward. Just as I reached them, I saw Alice's vision go blank only a moment before my own did. I could hear the sounds of screams and the crunching of metal.

My vision cleared in time for me to look up to see Bella at the back of the truck, staring at the shiny web of snow chains Dad had put on the truck. And then I heard the screaming of brakes. Bella looked up just as I tried to run to her, panic clawing at my insides. Cold arms wrapped around me, immobilizing me as I screamed my sister's name.

There was a blur of movement and I watched as Edward stopped Tyler's van from crushing my sister. I could hear Jasper and Alice's voices in my ear, telling me that Bella was going to be okay, but until I saw it for myself, even with the visions, even with their superior sight, hearing and blood-sensing, I wasn't able to believe it.

As I heard sirens in the distance, Jasper and Alice led me over to where the teachers and students were gathered around the crushed vehicles. "Bella!" I yelled, along with the rest of the students. When the EMTs finally arrived, they were able to pull Bella and Tyler from the wreckage, Edward climbing into the ambulance with my sister.

"Bella!" I heard my Dad shout and I ran over to him. "I'm okay, Dad," we heard her call back as she was loaded into the ambulance. He wrapped his arm around me and I sniffled, curling into his side. "Come on, sweetheart, let's get to the hospital," he said and we walked to his car. As soon as we were inside, he put on the siren and we followed the ambulance all the way to Forks General.

Once inside, Dad had me sitting on the bench of the waiting room. I was almost immediately joined by Jasper and Alice, each taking one of my hands. "She's fine, Maddie. Edward's with her, he's got several medical degrees. I'm absolutely sure there's nothing wrong with her, it's all just proceedure," Alice said, trying to sooth me. I nodded and leaned against Jasper, who held my hand, worrying small circles against my palm with his thumb.

Within a short amount of time, it seemed like most of the school had gathered in the waiting room to hear about Bella or Tyler. I was asked so many times about whether or not she was ok that Jasper and Alice finally made me move into their Dad's office while he was in the ER setting Bella free.

I looked up and found Rosalie staring at me from the doorway, another vampire behind her: tall, blonde, Adonis-type. "Hello there. I'm Carlisle Cullen. You must be Madison Swan, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, I've heard wonderful things about you," he said, looking at Jasper and Alice. I blushed at the praise and stood, reaching out to take his hand, surprising him a little, I think, when I didn't flinch from the chill.

"It's an absolute pleasure to meet you, Dr. Cullen. I just wish it was under better circumstances," I replied.

"Call me Carlisle, please," he said, shaking my hand before releasing it. "Bella is doing just fine, there's no sign of injury or concussion. She's being released now, your father is signing the papers for her release." I nodded.

Suddenly Edward was in the doorway looking rather furious. Jasper quickly moved to stand in front of me, and I slipped my hand into his. Carlisle seemed rather surprised by this before Edward let out a deep sigh and looked over at me. "Sorry, Madison. But your sister is so...infuriating!" he said, plopping down (or as close to plopping as a graceful vampire can get) into one of Carlisle's chairs. Rosalie sat beside him, looking just as annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I don't know what to tell you. Bella is infinitely curious, she will do her best to figure out what you are," I said sadly, staring at my feet.

"Hey now," Jasper said, feeling my worry and guilt. He pulled me to him and lifted my chin with his fingers. "This is not your fault, Madison. If Bella is as inquisitive as you say, she would have noticed how different we all were anyways. But because of this accident and Edward's feelings for your sister"-Edward choked at this but Jasper glared him down-"everything got moved forward a bit quicker than we expected. But I figure it's fate, something was going to happen to where Bella was exposed to us anyways." Alice nodded sagely at this and I smiled.

"Now, I suppose, we just have to weather the storm," Carlisle said.


	17. Chapter 16

The first week after the accident passed excruciatingly slowly. Especially since Edward was avoiding Bella. And guess who got to hear all about it during every ride to and from school? Meanwhile, Rose was taking her sweet time making some upgrades to the Mercedes, so I was stuck bumming rides with Bella once again. Neither Jasper nor I were pleased about it.

Edward finally quit being ridiculous after a month. It was a cold day, but not as cold as it had been. Bella and I were listening to White Stripes' Seven Nation Army as we pulled into the school parking lot, singing along, of course.

The second the truck pulled in and Bella had cut the engine, Jasper appeared bedside my door. He opened it and offered his arm. "My lady," he said, with a grin. I giggled and took his arm, "Good sir," I replied and hopped down out of the truck. I hit a small patch of ice and nearly took a header. If it wasn't for Jasper's quick reflexes, I'd have landed face-first on the black ice.

He caught me around my waist and pulled me up against his hard chest. I blushed when there were several cat calls from various students around the parking lot. "Should we give them a show?" he whispered to me. I grinned and caught him off guard when I reared up on my tiptoes and kisses him. I heard him growl low in his throat and tighten his arms wrapped around me, lifting me slightly. The cat calls got louder and from more students. So many "Woohoo!"s were heard that we looked up to see most students' eyes on us.

Jasper wrapped his arm around my shoulder, taking my bag from me as he escorted me to the lockers. "By the way, love, your outfit, the Major definitely approves. If you only knew how hard I'm holding him back from simply ravishing you and marking you." Jasper whispered in my ear, giving it a little nip to prove his point.

I gasped and blushed, looking down at what I wore. It was the black '40's pinup dress with cherry print. I wore it with '40's style stockings, with a line up the back that made my legs look longer (always a plus for someone like me who was so short!). My shoes were simple black Mary Janes. My hair was pulled back in a soft chignon, two Japanese-style hair sticks sticking out at opposing angles, with small flower charms dangling from them. My makeup was simple, black liner around my eyes, pale lavender shadow, just enough blush to accentuate my cheekbones, and a rose-colored lip balm.

I felt Jasper grasp my hips, pulling them forward against his and I bit my lip as I could feel how very much I affected him. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to walk around so hard you could break granite and not be able to do anything about it? Because no matter how many times I jerk myself off thinking of how you'd scream my name with me inside you, I'm hard again two minutes later!" he whispered harshly in my ear, sending my pulse pounding, my face suffusing with blood again, as well as making my lady bits clench tight as a vice.

"Jasper," I whispered, somewhere between a whine and a moan. He growled, yanking me against him and kissing me thoroughly.

"Oh gross, you two! Seriously, keep it in your pants until you're alone!" Bella said. Jasper looked up and was about to growl at her and I grabbed his face in my hands and smiled at him. He sighed and gave me a peck on the lips. He looked at Bella. "Killjoy!" he teased.

She laughed and grinned at him. "You're with my sister, it's my job to cockblock you at every turn, don't you know?"

I gasped out, "Bella!" both in humiliation and shock that she even knew the word cockblock, let alone used it. She started laughing hard and gathered her books for class. "Come on, lovebirds, time for class. Yay!" she said, her voice dripping sarcasm.

Jasper and I looked at each other and sighed. I grabbed my books and walked to class, Jasper at my side,his hand at my lower back. He kissed my temple as he dropped me off at the classroom door before heading towards his own class.

Classes were their usual semi-boring selves, though I learned something new here and there that was inputted into my brain's little library of stupid facts that would only be brought out during a trivia match or while watching Jeopardy. When it was finally time for lunch, I was ready to chew nails, I felt so hungry. I had not eaten breakfast before we left this morning and I was paying for it now, my stomach nearly cramping with hunger.

As I entered the lunch room, I headed straight for the Cullen's table, giggling when Jasper grabbed me around the waist and pulled me down into his lap. "Eat!" he said, pushing the tray closer towards me. "Thanks, Jasper. Thanks, Alice," I said, knowing she'd warned Japer how hungry I was, just from the amount of food that was on the tray.

I started on the crispy chicken sandwich and fries, giggling at the faces that Rosalie, Emmett, and the rest were making. "Hey, I don't make faces when y'all drink blood," I whispered, making them laugh.

"Yeah, but you don't have to smell it," Rosalie grumbled.

"Aww, but you love me anyways, Rose," I said, smiling at her. Her angry facade broke for a moment and she smiled at me. "You'll do, I suppose," she agreed. Jasper growled, and I kissed him on the cheek.

"It's fine, Jasper. At least I know I'm growing on her," I said. I slowly ate the steaming bowl of broccoli and cheese soup topped with rosemary and garlic croutons. It was delicious. A small garden salad with ranch dressing was next. I finished everything on the plate, ending with a slice of lemon cake with tangy lemony frosting. "Why can't lunch always be this good? Honestly, how can it be such a hit or miss every day?" I sighed.

The rest laughed. "The oddities of institutionalized meal planning, love." Jasper answered.

When the bell rang to signify lunch had ended, I frowned. "Edward," I called to him. He stopped for a moment and looked at me. "Don't you think it's time you ended this ridiculousness? You know what's going to happen, you've seen Alice's visions. For the love of all that's good and holy, just talk to Bella already!" I said, sighing.

He grimaced and I rolled my eyes at him. Finally he sighed and nodded. "Thank you!" I said with a huff and headed to class.


	18. Chapter 17

"So let me get this straight. You actually said that he could have saved himself all the regret of saving you and just let the van squish you? Seriously, Bella?" I said, taking a bite of leftover chicken enchiladas, since I had missed supper earlier.

Jasper and I had gone for a drive after school and had stopped at a little ice cream parlor he'd found years ago. We'd had old fashioned hot fudge sundaes (well, we "shared", I ate it, he watched me eat it), and talked about our families growing up, or at least what he could remember of his.

Bella nodded and I groaned. This was definitely not what I had meant when I told Edward to start talking with Bella again. Ugh, why were they both SO stubborn! "And I asked Charlie about going to Seattle the day of the dance. Did you still want to come or have you changed your mind and decided to go with Jasper?"

"No, I still want to go. God knows we both need a trip to a real book store. And we need better clothes for the weather here. You've about gone through everything you own at least twice already. Time for some new stuff. And I don't just mean sweatshirts and jeans, Bells. You need a few nice things. I'm not going to turn into Alice, but you do need a shopping trip!" I had warned Bella about Alice's massive shopping trips, but I don't think she quite believed me. Oh well, she'd be finding out herself before too much longer. Alice and Bella were destined to become best friends, practically sisters.

"Jasper will just have to hang out with Emmett that day," I said, laughing. Emmett had been complaining lately that I'd stolen his video game buddy. Jasper had snorted and told him that I smelled better, which made all of us laugh, as Jasper had drawn me closer to his side and kissed my temple.

* * *

The next morning we pulled into the parking lot. Jasper was waiting for me, as usual. When Bella got out of the truck, she dropped her keys and Edward was there in a flash, picking them up and handing them to her. I hopped out of the truck, nodding at Edward, who gave almost an imperceptible head movement at me, and I took Jasper's hand and we wandered away from what I thought would probably turn into another fight between the two of them.

Imagine my surprise when Bella showed up to English, late-which had the teacher admonishing her about joining us on time-, in a bit of a daze. We sat beside each other in the back at the same table and passed a note back and forth, Bella informing me that she had agreed to go with Edward to Seattle. I know my eyes widened at that, but I smiled. "Well, at least we'll make better gas mileage," I said. Bella's eyes widened.

"What? What is it, Bella?" I asked.

"I completely forgot to tell him that you were coming, too," she said, looking horrified. It took everything I had not to start laughing right then.

"Bella!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I just get so flustered around him. He'd overheard me telling Mike and Eric and Tyler that I'd made plans to go to Seattle that day, I hadn't said anything about you going too. I..I just forgot, okay!" she whispered, almost hysterically.

I couldn't help it, I snickered. "It's okay, Bella. I forgive you. We'll just explain, though I do hate to be a third wheel," I teased.

"Shush. Stop it! You know he doesn't think of me that way!" she said, smacking me lightly on the arm.

"Uh huh. Suuuure he doesn't, Miss Delusional."

"I'm serious! Stop it Maddy. He doesn't. Really," she said, but she was blushing like crazy and I grinned.

"Bella and Edward, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-ow!" I yelped when she smacked me hard, making half the class and the teacher look back at us. Both of us blushed and looked down at our work sheets. We looked at each other and both of us started giggling.

* * *

We walked to lunch with Jessica, Bella taking her seat with that group while I wandered over to the table with Jasper, Alice, and the rest of them. Though one person was missing. "Where's Edward?" I asked.

Rosalie growled and I sat there, shocked for a moment, it'd been a while since she'd growled at me. "Hush, Rose. Edward is fine," Alice said, nodding towards what had seemed like an empty table. Sure enough, there sat Edward. While we watched, he motioned towards someone and then he was joined by Bella.

They were talking, but of course my hearing isn't as good as a vampire's. "What are they saying?" I whispered, and Alice and Jasper gave me a play-by-play. I couldn't help smirking..."going to hell, really, Edward?" I said aloud, knowing he could hear me. He turned towards me slightly for a moment, frowning. I stuck my tongue out at him and could just barely see him rolling his eyes, making me laugh.

I stood to go through the lunch line, Jasper at my side. "What culinary delights are we offered today?" I said, looking over our choices. "We have baked spaghetti, hot ham and cheese sandwiches, and I have no idea what this is, it looks like some kind of casserole gone mad. I think I'll have the ham and cheese sandwich. How about you, Jas?" I asked, turning to him. He was grimacing at the casserole too. "Spaghetti." I laughed and kissed him on the cheek, which made him smirk at me. "Or your lips," he whispered against my ear, as he pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

I blushed and shushed him, making our way down the line. I gathered a small tub of fries for us to "share", as well as a container of pineapple chunks, and he smiled, grabbing a container of roasted red pepper hummus with pita chips, which he knew was one of my favorite snacks. I chose dessert for both of us, strawberry shortcake for him, which he'd told me had been his favorite when he'd been a young boy (I figured he could enjoy the scent of it since he couldn't eat it), and a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing for myself. Drinks were easy, water for him and a bottle of icy-cold chilled lemonade for myself.

We paid for our food...well, I tried to pay and he handed the lunch lady the money before I could even reach for my wallet. I grumbled at him for a moment while he pretended to look all cute and innocent and I sighed and gave in, rolling my eyes as we walked back to our table. I unwrapped my ham and cheese sandwich from it's foil and topped the fries with ketchup and started eating, as the others picked at their food and pretended to eat, something I had informed them that they needed to start doing to look a bit more human. The whole buying things, not eating them and throwing them away just made them seem less and less mortal.

"Have I ever told you how happy I am that you have such a healthy appetite?" Jasper said, as we ate. I shook my head, since I had a mouthful of food. He nodded at me and continued. "You have no idea how painful it is to watch-and feel- all these teenage girls, and some of the guys, too, do such damage to their bodies and their mental health by starving themselves, or even worse sometimes, binge eating and then vomiting it back up."

"Eating here, no talking about vomiting," I said. He chuckled and apologized. After I finished, I continued the conversation. "I know what you're saying, though, Jasper. A friend of mine in Phoenix had anorexia nervosa. It was so hard to watch her trying to force herself to eat even a bite of something. She even fought trying to eat celery, which has almost negative calories. You burn more calories chewing it than is it the celery itself. If she was lucky, she would finish a single-serving container of low fat, no sugar yogurt in a week. A week! She passed away two months before Bella and I moved to Forks." I said, feeling sad as I thought about her.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me onto his lap. Alice and Rosalie looked sad as well, and Emmett and Phillip just sighed in agreement. I sniffled and wiped away a few tears. "Okay, enough of this. We need something happy. Emmett, did you beat Phillip on that new shooter game last night?" I said, knowing it would make the big gooey teddybear of a man smile. And it did. He spent the rest of the lunch hour telling me about how badly he'd beaten Phillip at the game, with interjections from Phillip every few words.

As the bell rang, Jasper and I stood, and I looked over and saw Bella and Edward talking, but Bella got up and walked away as Edward stayed in his seat. Once she'd gone, he wandered over to us. "They're blood typing in Biology," he warned Jasper.

He grimaced and looked at me. I rubbed his shoulder. "It's ok, Jasper. I can walk to one class on my own. Besides, this should be interesting. Bella hates blood." I kissed him on the cheek, he wrapped his arms around me like he didn't want to let go, which, between himself and the major, he probably didn't. He nuzzled into my hair for a few minutes, breathing deeply. "I'll be ok, baby," I whispered and he nodded, finally letting me go.


	19. Chapter 18

Since Edward had taken Bella home after the disastrous blood typing in Biology incident, Jasper was sweet enough to drop me off after school, Alice driving the truck behind us, because Jasper refused to be limited by the truck's slow speed. I had laughed at him, and he smirked at me and promised that someday soon, he would take me out on his motorcycle. I warned him that Dad had better not find out, because good ol' Chief Swan had a very real hate against motorcycles...or death machines as he preferred to call them. Truthfully, I'd always thought that they were beautiful pieces of machinery.

Bella had dragged me into her bedroom after Jasper had dropped me off and went over every detail of Edward's dramatic "rescue" by picking her up off the concrete, to helping her in the nurse's office, getting her released from last period gym, to his rather high-handed driving her home in his car. I giggled through most of it, remembering reading it in my life before and how angry she had gotten when Edward had asked her not to accidentally fall into the ocean and drown or anything when she was at the beach this weekend.

Friday passed slowly, as most of the kids in mine and Bella's group were excited about the beach trip. I sat with Jasper at lunch, as usual, but overheard Lauren's snide little remark about why Bella "doesn't just sit with the Cullens". Honestly, it took Jasper laying his hand on my knee to keep me from getting up and walking over to smack the little tramp.

Jasper and I sat on the couch that afternoon, while Bella was working on supper. We basically just snuggled together while watching a documentary about mustang horses in the south west, especially in areas like Texas, being rounded up and either removed or slaughtered. It made me so sad. "I wish I had the money to own a giant ranch, somewhere like Montana, or something, with a ton of land. I'd buy as many of those mustangs as I could and take them there, let them roam there without having to worry about anything. I'd want to raise bison, too. " I turned to him, my eyes bright as I remembered an article I'd read years ago. "I'd want to raise them, a really large herd, and once or twice a year, let Native American tribes come in and hunt, using the old ways."

Jasper chuckled. "You want to own a dude ranch?" he asked.

"No, nothing like that. A real, working ranch, but I want to preserve these beautiful animals that have been killed off to almost extinction over the years. I just think it's a sad thing that something as stupid as greed...is slowly killing off these beautiful, wild creatures." I said sadly.

Jasper pushed my hair out of my face and behind my ears. "You have such a beautiful soul, Maddie." He kissed my forehead. He sighed as he looked at the clock. "I have to go, baby," he said, taking my hands in his and twining our fingers together.

"Don't want you to," I said softly, and he grinned.

"I know. I don't want to go either, but somehow, I don't think your Dad would like to come home and find us still sitting here, late into the night. Promise me you'll be safe this weekend? No swimming into the ocean chasing Bella after she's fallen in?" he teased.

I laughed. "Of course not, silly. That's what lifeguards and the coast guard are for!" I teased back.

Suddenly his face turned serious and Jasper was staring into my eyes, searching them. "Please stay safe. For your sister?" he asked kissing my forehead, "for your father?' he kissed the tip of my nose, "for me?" he asked, kissing my lips, tilting my head back so that I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around him and let him pull me onto his lap.

When I could no longer breathe, I pulled back, just enough to open my eyes and smile at him. "I promise I'll be careful. I'll call you as soon as I get back, and we can spend the evening together. I'll even," I teased," let you buy me dinner afterwards."

His face lit up with a smile. For some reason, he loved to watch me eat. While food still tasted and usually smelled awful to him, he enjoyed watching me enjoy food. "I'll take that deal, darlin'," he said. With an unhappy sigh, he stood, bring me up with him and we walked to the door. He left, after a few more long, slow, soft kisses and I sighed happily. "I'll see you in a bit, Darlin'," he said, with one last kiss on the cheek. and hug that brought me against his body.

I wandered into the kitchen, and Bella laughed at my love-struck look. I stuck my tongue out at her, with the words of "Just you wait, Bells, when you finally fall, I'm going to tease you mercilessly!" She just laughed harder and waved me over to the stove. I helped her put the finishing touches on supper just as Dad walked into the house. We all sat around the table, talking about the trip to the beach tomorrow, and I nearly choked when Bella asked about the Goat Rocks Wilderness. I knew Edward and Emmett would be there, hunting. I could practically see the wheels in my sister's head turning when Dad told her that most people wouldn't go "camping" there, because of all the bears in season right now. After we were finished, I did the dishes, since Bella had done most of the cooking for supper, while Bella went upstairs to take a bath and Dad watched the news and a baseball game on TV.

After supper dishes were done, I started to put together a great lunch for the trip to the beach tomorrow, since it was still rather early. I remembered from reading the books in my life before that Sam would be at the beach, which meant that Paul and Jared probably would be too. And so would Jacob, and I had promised all of them a great meal the next time I saw them. I figured now was as good a time as any to keep my promise.

I pulled a large venison roast from the refrigerator that I'd put there earlier to defrost from the freezer. I put it in a large bowl of milk to soak, to help remove any "gamey" taste that might be too strong. Myself, I didn't mind that flavor, but some people did. I read while it soaked, putting a timer on my phone to let me know when the hour was up. When my timer dinged, I removed the roast from the bowl, dried it well with paper towels and then seared it well on all sides in a hot pan on the stove. I placed it in the slow cooker with a package of mushroom gravy mix, and two cups each of chicken and beef broth. I put the lid on the slow cooker and put it up on high and set my phone timer for four hours.

I headed upstairs, phone in my pocket, and wasn't surprised to find Jasper waiting for me. I grinned as he strode forward (just as quietly as if he'd tiptoed) and pulled me into him, kissing me deeply. "God, I missed you. You don't know what it does to me, being away from you for so long," he groaned into my lips. I gasped when he picked me up and the next thing I knew we were on the bed, Jasper settled between my legs and pressing his hot, jean-clad length against my sweatpants-covered core. His lips kept me quiet as I moaned against them, as he ground against my clit. "Jasper!" I whimpered through his kisses.

"Come for me, darlin'! I need to see you come for me!" he whispered hoarsely in my ear. Before I could verbally respond, my core tightened faster and faster and then seemed to explode, sending my thoughts into the stars as lights flashed behind my closed eyelids. I moaned Jasper's name as I came. A few seconds later, his lips were against mine once more, and I felt him shudder against me, my name pouring from his lips. I slowly opened my eyes, to see him staring into mine.

He raised his hand and gently caressed my cheek. "Are you alright, love? Did I hurt you?" he asked quietly.

I blushed and grinned at his absurdity. "Hurt me?" I chuckled. "If what you just did consists of hurting me, you have permission to hurt me any time you want."

He stared at me for a moment before he chuckled. "I didn't mean to attack you like that, love. I don't know what made me do it. I'm sorry."

I grasped his hand and smiled at him. "It's ok, Jasper. I'm ok." I blushed a bit brighter. "More than ok, actually. Hold me for a while until I have to go back downstairs?"

"Gladly," he said, and his cool arms wrapped around me, pulling me towards him. I closed my eyes, and dozed off and on until the timer on my phone went off. I opened my eyes to see Jasper staring down at me, a smile on his lips. "Hello, beautiful," he said quietly.

"Hi," I said, smiling. I leaned up and kissed him softly.

"Charlie went to bed, Bella's asleep, and here you are, awake in my arms, " he said and grinned. I giggled and turned to look at him, reaching up to play with he tips of his hair. It was so soft, and glided like silk through my fingers. "So pretty," I hummed quietly. He snorted, and took my fingers in his hand, kissing their tips.

"Come on, little love. Let's get that food ready so you can come back to sleep. You're going to need it for our dinner date after the beach tomorrow." he teased.

"Mmm...but I'm comfy and don't wanna move," I groaned. I gasped and laughed as he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. He had us downstairs in the blink of an eye, and placed me in front of the slow cooker while he sat at the table. I sang to myself (and to Jasper) as I pulled the roast from the slow cooker and placed it on a platter to cool slightly. I scooped all but a cup and a half of the broth and juices from the roast out, putting them in a couple of freezer baggies to save for soup. I carefully shredded the venison, chopping it down into bite-sized pieces. I chopped two pint containers of button mushrooms, added a can each of cream of mushroom soup and a can of cheddar cheese soup to the broth in the slow cooker. I added the venison back into the mixture, stirring it well to combine it. In a bowl, I combined a container of sour cream and a package of French Onion soup mix. I placed a lid on it and put it in the refrigerator to rehydrate the seasonings and let the flavors meld. I also had a bottle of salsa in the fridge, and a few bags of tortilla chips for it sitting next to the large cooler.

I placed several bottles of water in the freezer, to help keep the cooler cold and so that we'd have ice-cold water later. As I cleaned out the large cooler, I placed several large bags of regular and flavored potato chips, 2 liter bottles of soda, and some 20 oz bottles for Jake, Bella and myself. I made sure that there were heavy-duty paper plates, plastic cups and plastic silverware ready to go, too. There were bags of ice in the deep freezer that Bell and I had talked Dad into buying on the back porch. I turned the slow cooker to low and turned back to Jasper and smiled. "There, everything is ready to go for tomorrow," I said, blinking and yawning. I was surprised when I saw that it was 2 a.m. already.

"That is an awful lot of food for just you and Bella," he said, looking at me oddly.

"I always make a lot of extra food, in case anyone else wants some. Besides, something told me to make a lot, and I always listen to that "something" even when it's not a vision," I answered.

"Kind of like Peter?" he asked. I nodded, "I think so, it's not a voice, or a vision, it's just a gut feeling, I guess." He nodded, before standing and taking my hand to pull me to him. He leaned down and kissed me, smiling against my lips.

I giggled. "I can't wait to meet him and Charlotte. I'm sure they have lots of stories of my Major," I teased him.

"Lies, all lies!" he jokes and picks me up, bridal style. I yelp slightly, before he carries me upstairs to bed. He lays me there gently and leans over me, caressing my cheek, along my throat and down my arm. "I don't know how I got so lucky. A monster like me, deserving of an angel like you. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I'm so very glad that I did," he whispered and leaned down to kiss me."

I caressed his cheek and smiled. "I love you, Jasper," I said, the words leaving my mouth with all the true feeling I felt for this man behind them.

His eyes filled with wonder at my words, and they seemed to lighten beyond even their usual golden color, almost shining. He pulled me to him and kissed my forehead, his words raspy and harsh in my ear, as if he were choking back emotion. "As I love you, my sweet, sweet Madison. Rest now, little love. I'm here, I won't leave."

And he gave me a little push of lethargy to help me to sleep.


	20. Chapter 19

**I'm going to mess with the timeline here a little bit and say that at this point, Sam has not yet imprinted on Emily, so the wolfpack boys are eating "teenage boy food", aka, takeout, pizza, mac and cheese, etc. So a homemade meal is a bit of a treat for them!**  
 **~Kiki**

* * *

The next morning, with Bella's help, I carefully packed the cooler. I scooped the still-steaming venison mixture into a large Pyrex bowl and wrapped it in towels and an insulated bag to keep it good and warm. It went on one side of the cooler, far away from everything that was intended to be cold. It was surrounded by the bags of potato chips and tortilla chips. Then came the line of sodas, then the bags of ice and bottles of frozen water. Then on top of the "cold zone", I put the containers of dip and salsa, packages of sliced cheese, and shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes. In the "hot zone, I also placed several bags of hoagie rolls, and a bottle of cheese whiz to warm slowly.

Since we still had time, and because of the fact that I wasn't entirely sure of the wolf pack's hunger, I also made two dozen deviled eggs and macaroni salad. However, to make it easier to travel, I didn't pipe the filling into the eggs just yet, but packed the eggs in a container and the filling into a Ziploc bag that I would use to pipe the yolk filling back in when we got to the beach. The macaroni salad didn't take much time, just chopping the celery, green onion, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, and mixing the dressing of mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, and celery seed. I tossed it all together and put it in a large bowl, putting it in the cold zone, along with the deviled eggs.

When it was time, I quickly dressed in comfortable, easy-to-move-in clothes, grabbed my beloved camera from my dresser-top (along with the photo of Paul that I finally printed off, placing it in a manila folder in my bag), and my bag, and ran downstairs to help Bella load the cooler and strap it down with some bungee cords to the back of The Beast. We arrived at Newton's Outfitters in no time, and followed the sound of excited voices. Bella and I waved at Mike and Jessica, and I smiled and skipped over to Angela and hugged her. Bella soon joined us and we talked until Mike called us all over to get into the minivan to go to the beach. He graciously helped me load the cooler into the van without much more than a "did you pack for an army?". I seriously had to stop myself from laughing, because that was pretty close to what exactly the wolfpack was.

"Something like that, Mike!" I grinned at him as we shut the back hatch. I climbed into the middle seat between Angela and some other girl. I felt bad for Bella because she was stuck between Mike and Jessica, and Jessica was giving her the Glare of Doom. I know Bella was never so happy to reach the beach as she was after being stuck between those two. We all headed down to an area of the beach where the boys were gathering driftwood, and Bella and I were both enchanted by the blue flame it gave off when Mike lit it. A group began to gather to see the tide pools. I debated with myself for a moment before deciding to join Bella.

I made sure my camera was secured around my neck and we carefully clambered over the rocks and down to the pools. I smiled as I took picture after picture, snapping images of Bella staring into the swirling pool, a hint of a smile on her face. I got a picture that I would later frame and gift to Angela, as she looked nearly posed perfectly, sitting on the edge of a boulder, pointing out to sea, just as a whale jutted from the water, with the sun hit her at an amazing angle. I got one of Jessica and Mike, sharing a look with each other as they peered into a tide pool, both of them entranced by a seahorse clinging to a small branch of seaweed.

Soon there were shouts to head back to the fire as lunchtime rolled around. Mike and Ben had been kind enough to bring the cooler down to the beach for me, though nobody had opened it yet, instead, they were bending over a bigger cooler by Mike, gathering sandwiches and sodas. I noticed that there were several newcomers to our group, the dark hair and russet skin of the Quilutes very noticeable among us "palefaces".

I smiled as I saw Jacob with some of the younger kids, and was startled when someone grabbed me from behind, making me squawk in surprise before I started laughing, knowing from the heat of the arms around me that it could only be one of the wolfpack! I wasn't at all surprised to find that it was Paul who'd picked me up. I waved Bella off to the group of our friends, after she stared at me in wide-eyed surprise (and after she laughed at my squawk) and I'd given her our "safe" sign; and turned to him, and saw Jared and even Sam headed my ways. "Hi guys! Long time no see!"

"Where you been, girl? We've been dreaming about that meal you promised us!" Paul said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I laughed and pointed at the large cooler at the very edge of the group, away from most of the kids.

"Ask, and it shall be delivered," I said, smiling at him. I giggled when his jaw dropped.

"No way, really?" he asked. I nodded and laughed when he took off towards the food. I heard him give off a loud, "Whoo!" when he opened it, making several of the other kids look at him in surprise. He shouted at them to "shut up and turn around!" as I made my way back over to him.

"Why'd you make so much food?" Jared asked, as he and Sam walked with me the few more steps to the cooler.

"Well, I didn't know you guys would be here, but I hoped. If I didn't see you here, I was gonna ask my friends to help me drop it off at Billy's for you. Paul, don't open that yet!" I shouted at him, and he almost bobbled the bowl of macaroni salad, but saved it quickly enough. I shook my head in exasperation, and both Jared and Sam snorted in laughter.

"Sit down, for heaven's sake, Paul! Let me fix plates for my sister and my other friend and then you can eat as much as you want," I said. "Hey Bells!" I shouted, catching her attention. I wasn't surprised when she dragged Jacob over to. "Hey, Jacob, good to see you again!" I said and he nodded at me, looking a bit wary of Sam's group.

I quickly made the venison sub-sandwiches, layering the meat/condensed soup/mushroom mixture on the bottom of the roll, topping it with sliced cheese and cheese whiz, then lettuce and tomato. I piled macaroni salad and deviled eggs on their plates, and then I handed Jacob a large bag of chips for him and Bella to share, as well as ice-cold sodas for the both of them. "I'm going to eat with these guys," I said. Bella was fine with it, since I'd given her our safe signal, but Jacob continued to look a bit nervous, before Bella winked at him and they headed back to the fire to eat and talk.

Meanwhile, I loaded up plates for Paul, Sam, and Jared. I laughed out loud when Paul moaned into his first bite of the sandwich. "I lied, I'm keeping her," he said and pulled me into his side. Both Jared and Sam laughed, but they were also making noises of delight as they ate. I made half a sandwich for myself, as well as a serving of the macaroni salad and two of the deviled eggs. I opened a tall can of Pringles Salt and Vinegar chips, and a bottle of Dr. Pepper. "Oh, there's some 2 liter sodas in there for you guys, too." I said, as soon as I remembered.

"Good lord woman, do you cook like this all the time?" Jared asked, as he pulled out the large bottles of Mountain Dew and Coca Cola from the cooler, all of them icy cold by now.

I shrugged. "I enjoy cooking. And it's always fun cooking for teenage boys, who will tell me exactly how much they like something I cook," I said, winking at them. They chuckled and started to tell me exactly how good they thought it was.

"Will you cook for us again?" Paul pleaded. I smiled as he laid his head in my lap, his stomach finally full after four sandwiches, two bags of chips, two servings of the macaroni salad and six deviled eggs, and almost half of his 2 liter of Mountain Dew. I was leaning back against a boulder and started running my fingers through his hair and he sighed in contentment.

"Yes, Paul, I'll cook for you again. Oh, by the way, I have that picture of you in the van, I printed it out this morning. I'll be sure to give it to you guys before we leave." I said. I didn't realize that I'd started humming, as I ran my fingers through Paul's hair, but the other two boys soon joined him, laying their heads on my outstretched legs, and listening to me hum for a while, as they let their stomachs digest the mountain of food they'd just eaten.

I looked up and smiled as I saw Bella and Jacob walking across the beach, knowing we were a step closer to her knowing the truth about the Cullens. Sam caught my attention after a few minutes. "I'm a few miles from Jacob's house. Log cabin, you can't miss it. Anytime you decide you want to cook for us again. It'd surely be appreciated. We can only live on pizza, canned chili, fried fish, and mac and cheese for so long," he said with a grin.

I laughed and nodded. "I'll be sure to let you know. I like cooking for large groups. I used to help out at a soup kitchen back in Phoenix on occasion. I got used to cooking for a large group of people, it's strange to only be cooking for three sometimes. By the way, feel free to take the leftovers back with you guys, just drop the cooler off at Billy's house, and I'll have Dad pick it up next time he comes. Any requests?"

"Can you make beef stew?" Jared asked, as Paul chimed in with "Lasagna?" and I looked at Sam. He smiled, and asked for "Blackberry pie?" He laughed when the boys looked at him in surprise. "What?" he asked. "I haven't had a blackberry pie since my Mom passed away," he said, and licked his lips in remembrance.

"You find me the blackberries, and I will make you a pie," I said, with a laugh. "No way, from scratch?" he asked. I nodded, "From scratch." He grinned and kissed me on the top of the head. "You have a deal, little sister!" he said and stretched. "Come on, boys, time to go to work," he said. The other two groaned but stood, and helped me up. Paula and Jared hugged me before they grabbed the handles of the cooler and started off towards, I'm assuming, Sam's house. Sam followed me to the fire pit, just in time for his "Cullen's don't come here," spiel. I sighed internally, but grabbed my bag and handed Sam the photograph for Paul.

"See you around, Sam," I said, with a smile.

"See ya, little sister!" he said, with a grin and jogged off to join Paul and Jared on the hill overlooking the beach. They waved at me and I waved back before turning back to the group just in time for it to start raining. We all piled into the vans and headed back to town. I smiled the closer we got to town, knowing that I had a date with my very handsome vampire when I got home.


	21. Chapter 20

As I stepped into my bedroom, my phone beeped, and I quickly looked at the text message.

 **Wear something red**!-AC

Red, huh? Thanks for the heads up, Alice! Over the few months that Jasper and I had been dating, Alice and I had become good friends, and had gone shopping several more times. She had definitely widened the variety of clothes in my closet. For some reason, Alice particularly liked to put me in skater dresses. Which I didn't mind, but she preferred the shorter ones. I insisted they at least reach my knees, which often made her grumble and head back to the racks, but that was my one stipulation. As I flipped through the clothes, a particular dress, that Alice had bought me just last week, drew my attention.  
I pulled it from my closet. It was 3/4 length sleeve, knee length skater dress with an empire waist, in a bright red with a slight shimmer to the fabric. With the chill weather, I pulled out a pair of thick black tights, and a pair of red leather boots with kitten heels that had red satin rosettes along the toe.

I showered quickly and blow dried my hair, pulling it back into a ponytail, then pulling it through an opening I created at the base of my neck and pulling it back tightly into place again, creating something just a little more elegant, but just as easy, as a ponytail. I sat down at my bedside, and used the personalized body lotion to slick over my skin. I'd used it's companion shower gel in the tub, and the layering of scents was amazing. My skin felt baby soft as I finished.

I opened my underwear drawer and quickly decided on a rather delightful red satin set that Alice had bought me during our first shopping trip. Once on, I pulled on a short black slip, and then the skater dress. Then came the leggings underneath, and then the boots. It took me a few minutes to get used to them, but they were gorgeous and I loved them already. I would definitely have to remember to thank Alice for them.

I kept my jewelry simple, a silver chain with a silver horse charm attached, and two tiny horse shoe-shaped silver earrings in my ears. I spritzed myself with the perfume that matched the set and stood, just as the doorbell rang. I couldn't stop the grin from gracing my face as I hurriedly brushed my teeth.  
"Maddie! Jasper's here!" Bella called up the stairs to me.

"Be right there!" I shouted back, checking my teeth and makeup once more. I washed my hands quickly and dried them, before grabbing my bag from my bedroom, my camera inside, along with my wallet and my cell phone. As I started down the steps, I smiled seeing Jasper turn to look at me. The look of raw desire that raced through his eyes made me shiver and blush. "You look...incredible," he said, his voice deep and gravelly.

"Good enough to eat?" I whispered, making him chuckle, but his eyes flashed black for a moment, showing me how close the Major was to making an appearance. I took his hand and squeezed it gently.

"Shall we, my lady?" he asked, holding his arm out. I grinned and place my arm in his. "We shall, good sir,"I said, making Dad and Bella laugh. I turned to them. "Be back later!"

"I'll be waiting up," Dad said, and I grinned at him. Jasper nodded respectfully. "Yes sir. I'll have her home before midnight."

"You better, young man. I like you a lot, I wouldn't want to have that opinion change now." Dad said, making all of us chuckle.

I waved goodbye to them once more and Jasper led me outside. I gasped when I saw the car he was driving. I looked up at him, mouth open in surprise. "You didn't?"

He grinned. "I did," he said and dangled the keys in front of my face. I grabbed them and did my best not to sprint to the black '67 Chevy Impala that was sitting in my driveway. I squealed as I slipped inside, the interior had been done to the specifics of the show Supernatural, one of my favorites! I'd introduced Jasper to the show and he too had taken an interest in it, though he'd laughed at their idea of vampires, though he did mention he wished "we didn't sparkle."  
The engine turned over and I laughed when a tape of "Carry On My Wayward Son" started to pour from the speakers. "You are a very, very good boyfriend, Jasper Whitlock!" I said, leaning over the seat and kissing him. His hand came up to the back of my neck and pulled me closer.

After a few seconds we both pulled back. "If you don't pull out of this driveway, we aren't going to end up going anywhere tonight," he whispered. I nodded and put the car into gear, backing out of the driveway and onto the road. "Where to?" I asked.

"It's a surprise. I'll tell you when you need to turn," he said, I zoned out, but forty minutes later, we were pulling up outside of a familiar building in Port Angeles. Music was thumping loudly from inside. "Karaoke!?" I asked excitedly. Before I could even turn, Jasper was at my door, opening it for me.

"My lady?" he said, offering his arm. I grabbed my bag and allowed him to help me out of the car before taking his arm. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Let's, please," I said and followed him inside. He led me to a small table, in a corner (easily defensible, the Major was definitely more in the front of Jasper's thoughts.). Apparently Jasper heard my stomach rumbling as I went to sit down, and signaled the waiter. "What would you like, darling?"

I flipped through the menu quickly. "Can I get the New York strip steak, with a side of asparagus and the salt and vinegar fries, please? And a large Dr. Pepper, too, please?" The waitress nodded as she took my order. "Be right back with your drink, hon!" she said as she walked away.

I saw the book of songs, and picked it up, starting to flick through it. "Anything in particular you'd like to hear, darling?" I asked him. I smiled as he flicked through quickly. He pointed at one, making me smile. "It's one of my favorites too," I said and leaned my head on his shoulder, waiting for my turn to sing.  
Suddenly there was a commotion at the DJ's stand. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a real treat tonight! We've been hoping and waiting for her to come back. Let's give it up for Madison!" There was a large amount of applause, and I stood and walked towards the stage. The DJ, who I remembered was named Ryan, asked, "What'll it be, Madison?"

I smiled and pointed out the song that Jasper and I had chosen. "Ooh, good choice!" Ryan said, and plucked the proper cd out of it's case and readied it. "Here we go," he said, and the music started as I stepped up to the microphone. The words began across the screen, but this was one I knew by heart, and I began to sing.

"How do I get through one night without you  
If I had to live without you  
What kind of life would that be  
Oh and I, I need you in my arms  
Need you to hold  
You're my world, my heart, my soul  
If you ever leave  
Baby, you would take away everything good in my life

Without you there'd be no sun in my sky  
There would be no love in my life  
There'd be no world left for me  
And I, baby I don't know what I would do  
I'd be lost if I lost you  
If you ever leave  
Baby, you would take away everything real in my life  
And tell me now

How do I live without you  
I want to know  
How do I breathe without you  
If you ever go  
How do I ever, ever survive  
How do I, how do I  
Oh, how do I live

If you ever leave  
Baby, you would take away everything  
Need you with me  
Baby, 'cause you know that you're everything good in my life  
And tell me now

How do I live without you  
I want to know  
How do I breathe without you  
If you ever go  
How do I ever, ever survive  
How do I, how do I  
Oh, how do I live  
How do I live  
Without you baby"

As I sang, I sent out emotion without even trying, everything I felt in my heart for Jasper poured free. When I opened my eyes, the room was filled with people who were staring into each other's eyes as they danced, or sat with their partners. As the song came to a finish, the room filled with applause. I made my way back to my seat as the tempo picked up with the next song.

As soon as I sat down, the waitress arrived with my food and drink. My throat was dry so I quickly drank it down, as Jasper sat next to me, his chin in his hand as he watched me eat. As soon as I finished, the plate was taken away, and a fresh glass of Dr. Pepper was placed in front of me. "On the house," the waitress said, walking away. I smiled and raised my glass, Jasper raised his, in a toast to "a great night out!"

Jasper and I danced during a few songs, almost always the slower ones, where he could hold me as close as he wanted to. I'd stand there, my head on his chest, smiling, as we slowly made our way across the floor. Finally it was the last call for songs, and the crowd started chanting my name, asking for one more song. Jasper nodded and pushed me towards the stage, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

I climbed the stairs and did a quick flip through the book before finding the song I wanted to sing. It was an oldie, but one I'd always loved. The music started and I just let go, the emotions of confidence and empowerment filling my thoughts and flowing outward with my voice.

"I remember it all very well lookin' back  
It was the summer I turned eighteen  
We lived in a one room, rundown shack  
On the outskirts of New Orleans  
We didn't have money for food or rent  
To say the least we were hard pressed  
Then Mama spent every last penny we had  
To buy me a dancin' dress

Mama washed and combed and curled my hair  
And she painted my eyes and lips then I stepped into a satin  
Dancin' dress that had a split on the side clean up to my hip  
It was red velvet trim and it fit me good  
Standin' back from the lookin' glass  
There stood a woman where a half grown kid had stood

She said here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down  
Here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down

Mama dabbed a little bit of perfume on my neck  
And she kissed my cheek  
Then I saw the tears wellin' up in her troubled eyes  
When she started to speak  
She looked at our pitiful shack  
And then she looked at me and took a ragged breath  
She said your Pa's run off and I'm real sick  
And the baby's gonna starve to death

She handed me a heart shaped locket that said  
"To thine own self be true"  
And I shivered as I watched a roach crawl across  
The toe of my high heel shoe  
It sounded like somebody else that was talkin'  
Askin' Mama what do I do  
She said just be nice to the gentlemen Fancy  
And they'll be nice to you

She said here's your chance Fancy don't let me down  
Here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down  
Lord forgive me for what I do, but if you want out  
Well it's up to you  
Now don't let me down you better start movin' uptown

Well, that was the last time I saw my Ma  
The night I left that rickety shack  
The welfare people came and took the baby  
Mama died and I ain't been back

But the wheels of fate had started to turn  
And for me there was no way out  
And it wasn't very long 'til I knew exactly  
What my Mama's been talkin' about

I knew what I had to do but I made myself this solemn vow  
That I's gonna be a lady someday  
Though I don't know when or how  
I couldn't see spending the rest of my life  
With my head hung down in shame you know  
I might have been born just plain white trash  
But Fancy was my name

Here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down  
Here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down

It wasn't very long after a benevolent man  
Took me in off the street  
And one week later I was pourin' his tea  
In a five room hotel suite

I charmed a king, a congressman  
And an occasional aristocrat  
Then I got me a Georgia mansion  
And an elegant New York townhouse flat  
And I ain't done bad

Now in this world there's a lot of self-righteous hypocrites  
That would call me bad  
And criticize Mama for turning me out  
No matter how little we had

But though I ain't had to worry 'bout nothin'  
For nigh on fifteen years  
I can still hear the desperation in my poor  
Mama's voice ringin' in my ear

She said, here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down  
Here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down  
Lord, forgive me for what I do  
But if you want out well it's up to you  
Now don't let me down  
Your Mama's gonna help you uptown  
I guess she did"

Applause came loud and fast as I finished, and whistles and catcalls, and calls for "Encore!" were yelled as I bowed to the audience and waved. I handed the microphone to Ryan. "Let's hear it, Ladies and Gentlemen, one more time, for the fabulous Madison!" he called out, and the room filled with applause once more. I made my way to Jasper and threw myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist as I covered his face in kisses and I giggled and hugged him tight. "Wow, that's such a rush!" I said, still smiling as he put me down.

"You ready to go, darlin?" he said. I nodded and he gathered our things together and we walked out to the parking lot. He helped me into the car and flitted to his side, getting in and starting the engine. I turned to him and smiled. "This was great, but can we go some place quiet and just enjoy some peace and quiet while we look at the stars?" I asked.

He nodded, taking my hand and began to drive towards home from Port Angeles. Suddenly he pulled off of the highway and onto a gravel pathway, following it until there was a wide open area. He turned off the car, and turned to me, with a soft smile. His hand came up and caressed my cheek. "So beautiful, my Madison," he said, before leaning over the center panel to kiss me. I gasped as he wrapped his arms around me and somehow slithered us into the back of the Impala. I giggled as he pulled me beside him, his lips coming back to mine.

"I love you, Madison," he whispered, kissing me again, his hand coming up and stroking along my cheek.

I blushed, and looked up into his eyes. "I love you to, Jasper," I returned, leaning up to kiss him. As we kissed, I felt him pull me closer, and his hand began sliding up my skirt, making me grin against his lips. I gasped against his lips as his hands cupped my ass under my skirt and lifted me onto his lap.  
He was hard, and I could have sworn the seam of his jeans were almost ready to burst. The thrust his hips up, pressing his length into my core. "Do you feel how hard you make me? How much I want you? How much I want to be in you, making you mine, forever, my Madison?"

"Yes!" I whispered against his ear, whimpering as he thrust again and again, his length slamming up against my clit and making me cry out. He held me against his length, grinding it down harder against my clit, gritting his teeth as he ground out, "Do you know how hard it is for me to hold back, not to take you here and now? Seeing how those men at the karaoke bar looked at you? Their feelings of lust and want for you?" he asked, his voice having gone darker, deeper, more of a growl. The major was definitely showing himself tonight.

"But I only want you," I whispered, whimpering as he slid his hand down the front of my tights and panties, gasping as his thumb came down on my clit. He kissed me hard, as his thumb began to work my clit in circles, causing me to gasp and moan against his mouth. He started moving his thumb faster and I was coming within moments, crying out his name. "Yes, sweet girl, come for me. Tell me whose you are!" he whispered against my lips.

"Yours! Oh god, Jasper, yours!" I cried out against his lips, breathing hard as he kissed down my cheeks and jaw, along my collarbone. He pulled his hand from my panties, and made a possesive show of licking his fingers clean of my fluids.

We slowly gained our breath, and his eyes lightened back up and he chuckled as he pulled me closer. "Can't get enough of watching you come for me. So beautiful watching you fall apart for me, my sweet girl," he groaned out. Apparently he picked up on my feelings because he began to grin at me.

I giggled and pushed Jasper back into the seat, kneeling between his legs, and began to unzip his jeans. I was right about them being strained, the cloth was pulled nearly white in places where the seams were straining to hold back his marble-like cock. I blushed a bright red as I pulled his zipper down and revealed that the Major had gone commando for the evening. I raised a brow at him. He shrugged and said simply, "Made it easier in case I had to go rub one out to keep myself sane."

I blushed brighter and giggled, before I stopped and watched him. I looked up into his eyes. "Show me how you like it, my love." He nodded, gently taking my hand in his and wrapping it around the shaft. As soon as I touched him, he moaned and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the gold had retreated until it was only a thin ring around the black pupil. "If you only knew how often I've daydreamed about having your hot little hand wrapped tight around my cock, darlin'!" he whispered. I bit my lip and smiled at him, as he took my hand, wrapping his around it and began to stroke himself.

He soon released my hand, gripping at his shirt as he tried not to hury me along. I learned what he liked, hard, deep strokes with a short, faster stroke every few strokes to change up the motion. He began to groan in pleasure and thrust up into my hand, his eyes on my hand. As he continued to thrust, I couldnt' help but think how beautiful he was, all of him. And as I watched him, I couldn't stop myself before I leaned forward and licked at his tip.

The difference was amazing. Everything seemed to stop for a moment, as I looked up into Jasper's eyes, now completely black. "Do that again, please, little darlin," he whispered. I nodded and leaned forward, licking around his tip again. There was a loud moan, and a ripping sound, as Jasper tore part of his own shirt. "I think I've died and gone to heaven," he said, his body shaking as he chuckled.

Before he could say anything else, I grinned and took his tip in my mouth, causing him to gasp in pleasure, his hands reaching down before he pulled them back. I blushed, looking up at him as I slowly pushed myself down, taking more of his shaft into my mouth. When I couldn't fit any more in, I slowly pulled up off his cock with a popping sound. Jasper stared at me, his mouth open a bit in awe. Before he could speak, I repeated it, and was soon bobbing up and down over his cock, taking a bit more with each downward movement. Jasper was whimpering and whispering my name, one hand gently laying on the back of my head, the other gripping his thigh.

Faster and deeper, deeper and faster as I sucked him. Suddenly he was tugging lightly on my hair. "Gonna come, baby," he said, tugging me off of his cock. I nodded and began to stroke him hard and fast, listening to him panting, his hips arching as he thrust up into my hand. "Oh! Oh god! Maddie! Maddie!" he cried, as he came into my hand. I wanted to taste him, as he had me, but knew that it wasn't a possible thing, because of the venom in his body. He grasped the collar of my dress and pulled me to him, kissing me hard. He took my hand and licked up every drop of his own release, making me blush and feel hot at the same time. He held me in his arms, a smile on his face. "You are amazing, Madison. So sweet, so bright," he said, kissing me.

Suddenly he sighed. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's nearly midnight, I have to get you home," he said. I groaned and glared at the clock.

"But I don't wanna," I said. He chuckled.

"And I don't want you to o either, my sweet girl. But for now, at least, we have to take what we can get."

I nodded sadly. He tucked himself back into his jeans, groaning as he slid the zipper back into place. He helped me clean up as well, then helped me back into the front seat before he took his own seat back. "Home, Jeeves," I joked, making him smile. He reached over and kissed my hand.

"Yes, ma'am."


End file.
